


My Soul-Mate

by CheapQueenPrincess



Category: K-pop, 소녀시대 | Girls' Generation | SNSD
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Claiming, Claiming Bites, Developing Relationship, F/F, Femslash, Fluff and Angst, Knotting, Light Dom/sub, Mates, Mating, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Verse, Soul Bond, Werewolf Mates, Werewolves, Werewolves in Heat, Wolf Pack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-02-25 06:07:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 60,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21811318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheapQueenPrincess/pseuds/CheapQueenPrincess
Summary: Taeyeon is the first born daughter of the leader of the Jeolla pack, one of the most powerful and influential wolf packs in all of Korea, and the next Alpha to be. But when the leading Gwangju pack launches a territorial attack on Taeyeon's pack and Taeyeon ends up biting a Gwangju pack member to escape, things begin to decline rapidly. Following on from the unexpected death of her father, Taeyeon faces pressure to find a mate as the new Alpha of the pack. But upon realising who her body has claimed to be her mate, Taeyeon finds herself having to make harder decisions than she ever thought she would have to.
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Kang Seulgi, Hwang Miyoung | Tiffany/Kim Taeyeon, Jung Sooyeon | Jessica/Kwon Yuri, Park Sooyoung | Joy/Son Seungwan | Wendy
Comments: 17
Kudos: 118





	1. The Run

Taeyeon scratched, clawed, dug her fingers into the earth, anchoring herself into the ground, preparing for the change and for the run. Energy was running across the pack, electric and jumpy, barely contained by the thick clouds still obscuring the full glare of the moon.

Tonight, as was the case with every full moon, the whole pack was out. Alphas, Betas and Omegas all as one. The hierarchy was still clear and obvious however, perhaps even to the blind eyes of a human. Alphas in front, Betas behind and Omegas at the back, or else skulking nearby to their mates, visibly less impressionable than their counterparts. Usually the pack was never fully complete as it was tonight, as whenever an Omega was in heat, they (and their mate should they have one) wouldn't participate in the run, their hormones too crazy for it to be safe for them to stay outside. But it seemed as if the heat had skipped this full moon, for every wolf-blood in the pack was standing out here on the mountainside, young and old, weak and strong, but all of them loud and proud.

To her immediate right stood Yuri, the firstborn of her father's secondary Alpha, and an Alpha herself. The two of them had been friends for as long as either could remember, for having been born from the same heat cycle, they shared a bond closer than most Alphas had with each other. Taeyeon's mind lent itself to the memories of pups, play-fighting in the village, then later on, running through the woods with Yuri, hunting. And then their first ruts, and having to deal with the insatiable nature of being that came with the title of Alpha.

She watched as Yuri ran her tongue across her canines, her eyes wild and alive and her own hands digging firmly into the dirt, her barely sheaved claws making deep furrows in the ground. Yuri had always been the one out of the two of them to fully embrace her Alpha, for Taeyeon had always been a little more reluctant, almost Beta-like in some respects.

And upon thinking this, Taeyeon's eyes fell upon her father, standing atop the rock that marked the summit of the pack mountain, already crouched, readying his position, but still appearing somehow taller and stronger than all the others in his pack. He was the definition of an Alpha Male, a paragon of leadership, upholding the traditions and values of all wolf packs in Korea. And sometimes Taeyeon paled under the shadow of his greatness, for she often felt as if she would never be Alpha enough for her father or for the pack, which she would one day lead.

Taeyeon's pack was one of the oldest in Korea, stretching right back to the days of ancient legend, and they revered pack values with the upmost pride and sanctity. For to break the laws of the pack would be an instant ticket to exile, and to be of wolf-blood but without a pack, was a fate many regarded as worse than death.

Many packs however, as time had progressed slowly into the modern day and humans had begun to take over, had abandoned such principles, resorting to fighting over territory like children and paying little attention to the respect of boundaries and of humans.

Taeyeon bristled with a sudden anger, stoked by the raw energy of the pack, as her thoughts moved to just such a pack, their sworn enemies of the Gwangju pack. For decades now their two packs had been coming into conflict, and it was the pride and goal of many Jeolla Alphas to have beaten or even killed a Gwangju Alpha in a fight.

A bolt of energy suddenly shot through Taeyeon, as the clouds finally began to clear away from the full moon, and the eyes of the pack turned to their Alpha Male, as he lent his head back and howled, the change rippling across him like stones skipping across a lake. And all across the mountainside, the pack howled with him, hundreds of copycat yowls and barks that built into a frenzied crescendo as the change overtook them.

The Alphas near the front of the pack began to shudder with adrenaline, jumping about, impatient to set off now that their bodies had morphed into their more wolf-like form. Although Taeyeon herself remained relatively still, able to control her instincts better than almost all of her opposing Alphas.

And finally, _finally_ , Taeyeon's father lent back on his haunches and lept down from the rock, letting his pack loose for the run.

Taeyeon, although perhaps not strictly a fan of the instinctual, animalistic nature of the run, loved it all the same. For it wasn't the ritual nature of it that she liked but rather the running itself. It was an opportunity to be free, to be wild, and to escape the expectations and restraints of the pack and it's heritage. For in this moment, they were all just wolf-bloods and nothing more, sharing in the ancient feeling of their ancestors, when their kind had been truly free.

The run, from an outside perspective, may have seemed controlled, almost like that of an army charging into battle. But the run was anything but ordered. Chaos was the beauty of it, just running fast and freely, not thinking, just _flying_ . Perhaps then, it would only seem ordered because of the pack mentality, every wolf-blood working together but also individually, like single drops of water in a raging river.

The pack cascaded down the mountainside, bounding freely throughout the trees and across the rocks, the Alphas howling out as they ran ahead, their raw energy radiating across the Betas and Omegas, so that they too felt the wild call of the moon as strongly as their Alphas did.

There was no determinable time length for the run, although it never usually lasted any longer than an hour. For even when transformed, they all eventually ran out of energy. First to drop off were usually the Omegas, who would sometimes be followed back down to the village by their Alpha mates, should they have one. The Betas would then begin to thin out, eventually leaving the Alphas alone on the mountainside.

There was an unspoken rule during the path of the run, that there were some places only the Alphas ever went to, for they were places they went to towards the end of the run. And Taeyeon's favourite of these was the Tokdaal Valley.

For you see, Tokdaal Valley was somewhat of a safe haven for Taeyeon, and a place that as far as the legend went, nobody but Alphas had ever visited. And it was often where Taeyeon ended up when she needed to ride out her rut.

Taeyeon didn't much like the rut, the insurmountable feeling of the need to mate, primarily because it was something that she couldn't control. For Taeyeon hated the idea that she might one day be caught near Omegas during her rut, and that she might not be able to control her instincts around them. And so, mostly out of pure avoidance, she would head to a place as far away from Omegas as possible, a place that they had never been.

And because she visited so often, Taeyeon had formed something a bit like an Omega nest in function, in a small cave that she had found in the base of the slanting side of the valley. The cave itself had a natural spring pool, which helped her to cool off during the earliest stages of the rut, and when the urge itself became too much, she would retreat to the nest that she had made herself out of moss and vegetation from outside, and ride herself out.

During the rut, it was not often questioned when an un-mated Alpha disappeared for it's duration. For Taeyeon's pack held respect and dignity in high regard, and it would not be acceptable to loose control around venerable Omegas. The Omegas themselves preferred to stay in the village, but shut themselves away from the rest of the pack in their nests, which were usually in the lofts or basements of their houses.

This month's full moon was the preeminence to Taeyeon's rut next month, and Taeyeon was feeling less pleased about this than usual. For as she had grown older, the pressure to find an Omega mate, as the Alpha Female to be, had grown with her, and with each passing season, both her father's and her own expectations were becoming increasingly frustrated.

The running helped though. It helped Taeyeon to forget the expectation held heavy on her shoulders, and it helped her work out her frustration, placing all her energy into the run, with each heavy thump of contact against the ground before she pushed off once more, expelling all the irritation that had built itself up inside her throughout the month.

About half an hour into the run, the first Omegas began to drop off. Taeyeon didn't take the time to recognise the individuals as they broke off from the pack, just acknowledged their lack of presence in the flow of energy that ran through them all. For without the Omegas, the change in aura was distinctly noticeable. For although they lacked a significant amount of energy themselves, they were still vital to the pack, and the run could never reach it's full potential without them.

And with each one that Taeyeon felt go, she almost wished that she could follow them. She liked Omegas, not in the possessive, sexual sense that Alphas usually did, but in the sense that she wished she was more like them. She wished that she had the hidden strength that they had, not the raw outward strength of an Alpha. But then again, thinking about it, did she? Did she really want to be an Omega, and have all the disadvantages that came with it? Or perhaps the question wasn't did she at all, but rather, should she?

As the run drew out, Taeyeon's lungs began to burn slightly from the constant hard flow of air in and out, and her muscles were beginning to tire. She hadn't been getting much sleep recently, having spent too much time at night thinking, and the results were beginning to show themselves prominently on their full moon runs.

As they neared the base of the mountain, approaching the pathways that led down into the plains and valleys, practically every Beta too had disappeared, rounding back to head towards the village. And it was then suddenly that Taeyeon found herself slowing, falling behind the other Alphas. And then, without knowing how it happened, she tripped, on a tree root maybe, or perhaps just over her own feet, and she tumbled to the ground hard.

Taeyeon threw her arm up, rolling with the movement of the fall to try and reduce the risk of injury, but still ended up jarring her shoulder and scraping a lot of the right side of her body. Sensing a break in the energy, several Alphas had slowed down also, and it was Yuri that found her, moving to stabilise her as she staggered into a crouch.

"You okay? What happened?"

Taeyeon shook her head.

"Not sure. I just lost balance I think."

Yuri frowned. It was rare of a wolf-blood, especially an Alpha, to even loose their footing when running, let alone fall. Usually their instincts were so highly tuned by this age, that every action became second nature to them, instilling them with deadly speed and accuracy.

"What happened?"

Taeyeon's ears perked up as the booming, almost guttural voice of her father rose from across the mountainside, and she turned her face down in shame. For what sort of daughter was she to the Alpha Male? To fall during a run, something she had been doing twelve times a year for almost her whole life.

Seconds later he bounded up to them, stopping just shy of Taeyeon's crouched form as she breathed in and out heavily, her whole body moving with the action. Ducking down so that he was closer to her height, he nuzzled under her chin, checking her over.

"No damage done." he declared, his tone sounding cold, but Taeyeon knew that he was just on edge about her being injured. 

Ever since he had lost his mate, her mother, he had been even more overly protective of all of his pups, but especially Taeyeon, as the Alpha Female to be. Taeyeon's face coloured slightly all the same though, feeling as if she were an embarrassment to her father.

"Mianhae, appa..."

Taeyeon's father gave her an odd sort of look, before he shook his head.

"It is of no matter. We should be heading back anyway."

Taeyeon nodded and got to her feet, reverting away from her more wolf-like stance and back into a more human one. And as the rest of the Alpha's went on ahead, led by her father, Yuri hung back and walked with Taeyeon.

"Hey... what's up with you?"

Taeyeon shrugged, beginning to feel the change wearing off of her already. For as much as the full moon played it's part in the change, adrenaline and pack energy played a bigger one. And so Taeyeon could feel herself shrinking back into her human self with every step that she made. She was now limping slightly too, the injury growing more severe now that the change was wearing off, but she refused to let Yuri help her. For whatever pride she still had left, she wanted to retain.

"I don't know Yuri, something's just off with me. I can't sleep properly, I can't stop thinking, and every time my rut comes on it- it just... I'm dreading it more and more. And I just feel so empty, like there's something missing, y'know."

To her surprise, Yuri just smirked.

"Yah... what are you grinning about?"

"I know what's up with you Taeyeon. You need a mate."

Taeyeon turned away from Yuri, staring down at the ground and frowning as she thought this over. Minutes passed in silence as Taeyeon's canines bit down slightly on her lower lip, a nervous gesture, like something that a pup might do.

"It's just... I was hoping there might possibly be another explanation..." she eventually mumbled.

Yuri stopped Taeyeon with a hand on her arm, her claws imprinting slightly onto Taeyeon's pale skin. She looked genuinely worried now, confused even, and Taeyeon dreaded what she might've stopped her to ask.

"But why Taeyeon? Why don't you want a mate? There's still plenty of Omegas around, chances are you're bound to connect with one of them."

"But that's just it Yuri. I've never had that _thing_ , where you bond with an Omega. I've never felt anything even close to it, nothing. And also I'm... I'm scared of mating with someone. I'm going to become the Alpha Female one day. What if I put my mate in danger? Like..." Taeyeon swallowed hard. "Like omma was..."

The change it seemed, was also beginning to wear off of Yuri, as when she placed her hands on Taeyeon's shoulders, her claws seemed altogether less prominent.

"Hey. Listen to me. What happened to your mother wasn't your father's fault. And you can't let that stop you from being the Alpha you were born to be. Your body is telling you what it needs, you're just refusing to listen to it. Which is more than I could ever do if I'm honest. You're strong Taeyeon, stronger than all of us, because you can control yourself and you care more about the values of the pack than anyone I know. And that's why you're going to make a great Alpha Female. Trust me."

Taeyeon sighed and shook her head.

"You have more faith in me than I do Yuri."

The two of them made their way slowly down into the village, Taeyeon still limping slightly, and so by the time they reached the central courtyard, it was growing closer to the early hours of the morning and closer to dawn.

"You get yourself to bed right now, okay?" Yuri advised and Taeyeon nodded, thanking her. Yuri smiled at this and nudged Taeyeon's shoulder firmly with a closed fist.

"And don't worry Taeng, we'll find you an Omega. Just you wait and see."

***

Tiffany crouched beside the fire, huddled amongst the small pack of Omegas winding down after the run. The Alphas were still out and their wild, excited howls could still be heard even from down in the village. As often seemed to be the case after the run, it being one of the only opportunities the Betas had to come into contact with Omegas, without the influence of the Alphas, several male Betas had made their way over to the Omega pack.

A Beta that was about the same age as her, Luhan she believed his name to be, was eyeing her shyly, trying to attract her consideration of him. She frowned, shifting closer to Yoona, scared of his attentions. Quite apart from the fact that she felt nothing towards him, she was scared of the possibility of bonding with a Beta. Such relationships were not often said to end well.

The small groups of Omegas and Betas continued to mingle, centred around the fire in the village, waiting for their Alphas to return, which they eventually did. The Alphas of Tiffany's pack were of a particularly wild variety, often with no regard for the surrounding human population, and it wasn't uncommon for one of their Alphas to end up biting or even killing a human that just so happened to come too close to their village.

But the run this night in particular seemed to have gotten them more riled up than usual, as they were pumped full of adrenaline. Tiffany could smell it in the air, the heady, dangerous scent of hyped up Alphas, ready to kill.

As the Alphas it applied to returned to their mates, the Betas scattered, leaving the un-mated Alphas to take control of the fireplace. Tiffany swallowed hard, too nervous to attempt sneaking off back home, as a particularly strong Alpha who always seemed to be after her, by name of Nichkhun, caught her eye and made his way over.

"Wonderful moon tonight." he commented, his eyes wide and glazed over with barely contained excitement. 

Tiffany could feel the raw energy radiating off of him and resisted the urge to cringe away. Alphas scared her more often than they didn't, for she didn't much like the way they always seemed to be on form, twitchy, jumpy, _dangerous_ . And she often wondered what had happened in their pack to the sort of Alphas she had heard about. The soft, gentle Alphas, that protected and revered their Omegas, rather than treating them like a pet, or even just an object, to be prized, hoarded and compared.

Tiffany nodded, staying silent, and Nichkhun crouched next to her by the fire. The other Omegas had long since skulked away, not wanting to be a nuisance to an Alpha.

"I heard you still have yet to find a mate."

Tiffany's eyes flicked over to Nichkhun nervously, her now almost sheaved claws digging hard into the dirt beneath her hands. Nichkhun lent closer to her, close enough that she could feel his hot breath on her neck. She shuddered, involuntarily, and he smirked.

"I know how hard the heat can be when taken alone. So... if it ever gets too much, I thought I'd let you know that I..." He paused for effect. "Can claim you, _whenever_ I want."

Tiffany noted that Nichkhun had said 'I' rather than 'you', and supposed that she couldn't have expected any less from an Alpha like him. Not quite knowing how to respond, she shied away from him and he retracted, restraining himself for the moment.

"Think about it hmm?" he said, flashing her a look at his sharp white teeth, before he moved back over to his pack of Alphas.

Tiffany stayed by the fire, watching the Alphas with sharp, considerate eyes. There was something different about them tonight, which was perhaps why Nichkhun had been so bold with her just now. He was pumped up and he wanted to celebrate. As she continued to watch them, the Omegas and Betas began to reform around her, and it was two Betas, Sooyoung and Soonkyu, that eventually took their seat next to her.

"What's happening?" she asked Sooyoung, not taking her eyes off of the Alphas.

"They're hyped up, no control any of them. I'd say, best guess, shit's about to go down soon."

"With humans you mean?" Tiffany asked, turning to face her.

Sooyoung shrugged.

"Perhaps. But you know Gwangju Alphas, blood-lust higher than their sex-drive most of them. I'd say they're more likely to try and encroach on some territory. Gyeongsang probably, but if they've really lost it they might try Jeolla. It'll be murder either way."

Tiffany considered this in silence, staring intently at the burning logs stacked high in the open fire. She'd heard about territory wars before, and she knew that nine times out of ten it was packs like theirs that started them. But what could you say to Alphas like that? Tell them not to feel that way? Tell them not to fight? It would be easier to turn back the tide.

"Anyway." Soonkyu chipped in. "Some of the Betas have set up some food in the meeting hall, after run stuff y'know, and they want to know if any of you Omegas want to join."

Tiffany took one last glance back at Nichkhun before she nodded hastily.

"Yeah, sure."

The three of them straightened up from sitting around the fire and headed towards the meeting hall, as all the while their senses were pervaded by the undeniable danger laced within their Alphas pheromones that night.


	2. The Gwangju Promise

Taeyeon sat, cross-legged on the grassy hillside, right by the spot she knew from memory was where they had placed her mother to rest. It was traditional to bury a pack member, when they died, in the spot in which they had lost their life, or as close as it was possible to get. This way it would serve as a permanent marker for the memory of their life, and in the fleetingness of it's passing, a speck of dust suspended in the endless air of time.

Taeyeon was twisting her knuckles round each other, an impatient, nervous gesture. She had come here searching for answers, but hadn't really known what she was expecting to get from visiting her mother's resting place. After all, symbolism aside, it was essentially still a patch of grass and dirt, just the same as any other.

Taeyeon was doubting, thinking too hard and of all the wrong things.

She was doubting herself, and her ability to live up to her future calling. For she was nothing like an Alpha should be, not really. For one, Alphas never doubted themselves, never doubted their own strength and abilities. And Taeyeon seemed to do nothing but. And for two, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to be the Alpha Female. It just seemed altogether like too much responsibility, too much power, and she wasn't sure if she could, or wanted, to handle it.

Sighing, Taeyeon jumped to her feet, wanting to distract herself from all this thinking. She'd go on a run, yes. All across the hillside, as far as she could go. She needed to run more anyway, and think less. Because thinking was the opposite of instinct, and an Alpha who didn't run on instinct was no Alpha at all. 

***

Tiffany shuffled from foot to foot nervously, unable to control her jitters. The energy roving across the pack was a tense, dangerous one, an energy balancing on the edge of a precipice, dancing with death in each and every step.

It had taken a few days for the Alphas to actually come up with a plan, a few days that had been laced with a horrible tension, that had hung in the air, warning the pack Betas and Omegas that something big was about to happen.

It had been a while, upwards of a year, since their pack had ventured into any northern territories, and the Alphas it seemed, had taken this as a personal insult and a challenge. For they knew that the Jeolla pack was superior to them, and the very idea that they weren't top of the pecking order was infuriating to them. Because to Gwangju Alphas, being top-dog meant everything.

All they had been told was that the pack was going to be launching an advancement into Jeolla territory that week, but Tiffany was intensely aware that there was definitely something more at play. For the Alphas all had this dark sort of look in their eyes, one of pure evil joy, and Tiffany knew that they were planning more than just a simple fight over land. 

It had taken them the best part of three days travel to get from their village in Gwangju to the outskirts of central Jeolla pack territory in Jeonju, the journey having been slowed by the need to avoid humans. And now they were waiting for night, sitting round the beginnings of a fire in their makeshift camp, all of them high on nervous, jumpy energy.

She started, suddenly on high alert, as Nichkhun stepped closer to her. And the hairs on the back of her arms and neck began to bristle, as she inhaled his hyped up Alpha scent, a scarily intoxicating combination of excitement and violence.

"It's good to see the whole pack come along for this, don't you think?" he asked her.

Tiffany nodded, not wishing to invite a fight.

"And it's good you Omegas came along really." he continued, a dangerous edge to his voice. "Because you... I have a special job for you."

Tiffany swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat.

"Now listen closely, because this attack we're launching is a stealth one. We want to catch them by surprise okay? And as for you, what I want you to do, is seek out a Jeolla Alpha. Any of them will do. And I want you to try and get them alone, yes? And then I want you to jump on them and not let go for anything, d'you hear me?"

Tiffany gave Nichkhun a wide-eyed look, biting her lip hard.

"But- they're all so much stronger than me..."

Nichkhun smirked and reached into his pocket.

"They're not stronger than steel." Nichkhun said, producing a pocket knife from his jacket and pushing it into Tiffany's shaking hand. "Hold this against their neck and they won't be able to struggle without slitting their own throat."

Tiffany stared at the knife in her hand, frightened of it's potential power, to kill in a heartbeat. Wolf-bloods didn't often use human made weapons in their fights, preferring hand to hand combat, and it made her wonder where Nichkhun could possibly have even gotten the blade from.

"Don't be scared now. Jeolla Alphas are weak like this. They wouldn't dare hurt an Omega."

Tiffany nodded hastily, not wanting Nichkhun to think she wasn't agreeing with him. He smirked and gave a single nod of approval himself.

"Now..." he whispered, the undertones of his voice edged with a slight growl. "You make sure you do this for me, okay? Or you might just find that, next rut... I might not be able to... _control_ myself. Because you're _my_ Omega Tiffany, and you always will be."

Tiffany forced herself to control her breathing, although it came out as an unusually hard exhale from her nose. Nichkhun however, whether he noticed her stress or not, seemed satisfied, as he finally left her alone to head back to his Alphas and begin building their adrenaline up for the attack. And Tiffany herself just clung tight to the knife in her hand, arm shaking with the very scary possibility that Nichkhun would make good of this promise, no matter what she did to avoid it.

***

Taeyeon had been trekking through the forest, on her way back from her run across the hillside, when she had first become aware that something was wrong.

Quite apart from the way her chest had tightened suddenly, the pack bond pulsating with uneasiness, everything just seemed too empty, too quiet. Something was wrong. Taeyeon picked up her pace, hurrying towards the slight ledge of rock jutting out from the hillside, that overlooked the eastern side of village. And it was there that she stopped, closing her eyes and breathing in hard, trying to get a sense of what was happening, what was wrong.

She caught something on the air, an unfamiliar scent, an invasion to her nose. The scent was angry, powerful, but not a solitary one. It seemed more the collection of many scents, an overflowing river ready to sweep away anything stuck in it's path. And as she caught the scent, the feeling of uneasiness in her chest suddenly exploded into a panic, a fear unprepared for, adrenaline eliciting it's fight or flight manta, lighting up her mind and her body with energy.

But before Taeyeon could jump down from the ledge and follow her pack's calling, something knocked hard into her back, making her stumble with the weight, and she tried to twist round to see what had hit her. Which is when she realised that someone was clinging onto her back, and that that someone had just pressed a knife to her throat.

Taeyeon swallowed hard, the movement causing the knife blade to graze lightly across her skin, not quite drawing blood. The scent of the body on her back was unfamiliar but not unrecognisable. She inhaled deeper, trying to remember the scent, and after a few seconds, it finally came to her. Gwangju blood. The Gwangju's were invading their territory.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked. "Why are you attacking us?"

The wolf-blood clinging to her back didn't reply, just gripped the knife harder, their other hand moving to grasp Taeyeon's wrist. Taeyeon noticed that their hand was trembling, their knuckles having turned white in an attempt not to.

A sudden howl alerted Taeyeon, moving her attention to the mountainside, which was on the other side of the village. She twitched her ears. It was coming from the summit. And that howl was her father's, she would've recognised it anywhere. Her father let loose another howl. It was a battle cry, a call to all his pack to come to him and come to fight. Taeyeon's muscles twitched, clenching, impatient to be used. But she forced herself to stay still, knowing that one wrong move and she'd get her neck sliced open.

A cacophony of yips and yowls rose up from all across the forest and the mountainside, as the wolves of Taeyeon's pack defended their territory against the invading Gwangjus. This was no everyday quarrel over land it seemed. The Gwangjus were starting a war.

The wolf-blood on Taeyeon's back was breathing heavily, their exhales hitting the side of Taeyeon's face. They were so close to her, closer than anybody had ever gotten, so close in fact that Taeyeon suddenly caught the scent of them so very strongly from the gland embedded in their skin, towards the back of their neck. They were sweating, so it was easier to pick up. And the scent was so... wait- they were...

An Omega.

Taeyeon froze, not sure what to do. It was against her moral code to ever bring harm to an Omega, but now here one was, preventing her from defending her pack. The sharp heat of the pack energy was pulsating in her chest, red-raw and angry, fighting to be unleashed and in that moment, her very blood seemed to be on fire. And for one of the very first times in her life, Taeyeon lost control.

Bearing her teeth, Taeyeon snarled and her eyes flashed dangerously. The Omega trembled but still held on, impressively so to Taeyeon, but she wasn't about to be overcome by an Omega. Swivelling her head down, she nipped the Omega's hand and then grabbed the blade of the knife between her teeth as they jerked away from her, twisting and pulling it out of their hand.

But there was something wrong with this Omega, Taeyeon could tell. Even when defenceless, they refused to back down, still clinging to Taeyeon's back, their other hand clamped around her wrist. Taeyeon could feel the blood pounding in her temple, a call for help from her pack, intensified by rage and an instinctual lust for blood. And so Taeyeon couldn't help doing what she did next.

Twisting her head round, Taeyeon opened her jaw and bit down hard on the Omega's shoulder, dangerously close to their neck. The Omega jumped as if having been jarred by an electric shock and dropped from her back, and within seconds Taeyeon had bolted, disappearing into the forest, answering the call of her pack.

***

The battlefield was carnage.

The taste of the Omega's blood in Taeyeon's mouth was metallic, distracting, as her eyes searched the mountainside wildly for her father. So much so that she ended up spitting, almost retching. But the taste wouldn't leave.

Everywhere she looked she saw fighting wolf-bloods, blurs across the hillside as they ran, tumbling over their opponents, clawing, biting, snarling. And there were injured ones, limping, clutching arms, legs, sides. And everywhere there were howls and barks, a constant barrage to the senses. She could hear her father's yes, still, but where? Where was it coming from?

More out of instinct than informed direction, she made for the summit of the mountainside, and the rock that her father always stood upon, ready to lead their runs. But she was running harder and faster than she had done in any of those runs. Because now she could no longer hear her father's howl above that of the others.

And indeed, it was at the summit that she found him.

Littered around the Alpha Male were several bodies of others, all of which she could tell from the scent of their blood, were Gwangju wolf-bloods. Obviously her father hadn't gone down without a fight, which was the least Taeyeon would've expected of him. But there had to be four, five bodies here, some Alphas, some Betas, all dead...

Taeyeon knelt beside her father, eyes wide with horror.

He was drenched in blood, both his own and others, and had deep claw and bite marks all over his body. His clothes were ripped along the joins, a sign that he had transformed suddenly in the adrenaline of the fight, but there was no sign of the transformation left. Now he was just an ordinary man and he was dying.

"Appa..." Taeyeon mumbled weakly, cradling his head on her lap, and his eyes flickered open, locking onto hers.

"Nae gangaji..."

_My pup._

"What do I do appa? How can- how do I-"

Taeyeon was panicking, not sure how to deal with the enormity of what was happening right now. For not only was it her father that was dying in her arms, but also the leader of her pack, the cornerstone that held the pack bond together. When her mother had died, she had felt the loss keenly, yes. But she had still been a pup back then, and she had never imagined that, when the moment eventually came, she would feel such fear at the immanent death of her father. And it's intensity overwhelmed her, causing tears to threaten the corners of her eyes.

"Now is your time, Taeyeon-ah. To become the next Alpha Female."

Taeyeon's voice trembled, scared.

"Appa- I- can't..."

Taeyeon's father reached up a bloodied, dirty hand and cupped her face within it.

"You were always different Taeyeon. Different from any pup I ever had. But I know what I see when I look at you. I see an Alpha. The greatest Alpha that will ever lead this pack."

Taeyeon shook her head.

"No appa, I'm not- I can't..."

Taeyeon's father smiled as he stroked his thumb gently across her cheek.

"You'll do just fine... my Taeyeon-ah..."

His hand dropped from Taeyeon's face as he exhaled heavily, the action laborious and painful. And all Taeyeon could do was watch in horror, as the light gradually drained from her father's eyes, his chest stopped heaving, and he died in her arms, his blood seeping through her fingers and staining the ground crimson red.

***

Tiffany stumbled, hand clutching at her shoulder. The bite wound was bleeding profusely, staining her fingers dark red, and her vision was spotting as she staggered through the forest. Jeolla territory was unfamiliar to her, and she could hardly tell one direction from another, stumbling aimlessly through the trees until she sank to her knees, her mind far too dazed to carry on.

She ended up curled up on the ground in a foetal position, hand grasping weakly at the shirt material that was tacky with blood, sticking to her shoulder wound. And as her mind began to drag her down to unconsciousness, she found the only thing she could think, was that at least death had to be better than forced mating with an Alpha she didn't love.

***

Taeyeon knelt beside her dead father, head bowed in respect for the passing of the presiding Alpha Male. Upon his death, a shock-wave had gone through the pack, the pain felt by all of them as one at the loss of their pack leader.

Her hand was smeared in her father's blood from where she had cradled his head in her hands, and once the silent moment had passed, she used the flat side of her fist to smear a paw-like mark on his forehead, then her thumb to form the pads, dragging her nail through the blood to form the claws. It was a mark of respect for the dead, reminiscent of the wolf inside, painted in their own blood to symbolise that they died fighting, an honour for an Alpha.

Taeyeon felt the pulsing anger grow steadily in her chest as she did all of this, a white hot rage running through the pack bond, in vengeance for their dead leader. For the moment he had died, the result of the battle had been decided.

A sharp howl cut across the mountainside a few minutes later, unfamiliar to Taeyeon, and one that signified a retreat. A retreat of the Gwangju pack members. Taeyeon felt the adrenaline pulsing in her chest and closed her eyes, imagining the waves of her pack, moving as one, chasing down those who had dared breach their territory, only to retreat again with the life of their leader in their hands.

Taeyeon lent her head back, tears running shamelessly down her face as the emotion of the moment built up, heavy in her chest. And then she let out a howl.

It was a howl with a power behind it not often seen, a howl that everyone recognised and most dreaded. It was the howl of the dead, a long, drawn out mournful noise, that echoed and bounced off of every surface, resonating in the hearts of the pack connected to it. The devastated howl of a new Alpha leader-to-be.

Eventually Taeyeon fell silent, her throat ragged and her chest heaving up and down with the effort. She looked down at her father's still form, looking weaker and more venerable than she had ever seen him, and closed her eyes again.

"I'll make you proud appa. I promise, I'll be the greatest Alpha Female I can be, for you. And I promise you I will find a mate, suitable enough to carry on your line. Unbroken Alphas, right back to the ancient days. Your memory shall be preserved in me."

***

Luhan was breathing hard, in and out, over and over, trying to get enough oxygen into his body to sustain his run. It had not been long ago that the Alphas had called for a retreat, overwhelmed by the tight-knit, defensive spirit of the Jeolla pack.

To get away from any possible pursuers, he had detoured into the woods, hoping this would throw off the scent he so obviously had to be giving off from his sweat, intermingled with his constant fear of getting caught and captured.

But as he delved ever deeper into the woods, it was the scent of something other than his own fear that caught his attention.

It was the sharp, metallic scent of blood, Gwangju blood to be exact, and he eventually tracked it down to a small creature, curled in the leaves, not moving. He moved to their side, inhaling the scent of his fellow pack member, and soon realised that it was an Omega. And not just any Omega. It was Tiffany.

Her face was pale, drained of any colour, and Luhan's eyes ran, horrified, over her shirt, that was half soaked through with blood. His hand moved to her wrist, checking for a pulse, which he found, but it was weak.

As a young Beta, Luhan was panicking, not sure how to handle this situation. He howled, a howl that was searching for help, and waited, but nobody returned his call. So instead he crouched down and picked up Tiffany's limp form, holding her close and beginning to run again, dreading the possibility that the Jeolla pack might find the two of them alone in the woods, and what they then might do to them.

***

Taeyeon waited stoically by her father's side until some other Alphas appeared to help her carry the body back down to the village. All of them were visibly injured and exhausted, but they all did their duty in paying their respects to their dead leader. A heavy silence had settled over them as they made their way down the mountainside, words just seeming somehow inappropriate during a moment such as this.

There were no Betas or Omegas down in the village when they finally reached it, something Taeyeon acknowledged with a slight frown, as they carried her father into his hut and set him down on the bed, putting the duty of what to do with his body aside for the moment. Usually the body of dead pack member would be left exactly where they died, in order to bury them there. But things were different for a leader. The funeral of a leader was a ritual, a handing over of the pack bond to the next of kin, and had to be prepared for.

Yuri had been one of the Alphas who had appeared to help, and Taeyeon asked her about what had happened during the battle, as they walked slowly through the village.

"Where there any other deaths? It was hard to tell during the fight."

Yuri shook her head.

"Nobody else has died yet, though some are pretty close to it. Though I don't think the Gwangju ever intended to kill anybody but your father. It seems as if the spreading out of their pack was a tactic to isolate him, and to intimate us, a way to show off their power. We killed quite a few of theirs though."

Taeyeon nodded, her mouth still set in a hard line, her expression unforgiving.

"What about injuries?"

"The Alphas are okay on the whole, although Kai got beat up pretty bad. He's in the med hut with the Omegas. A lot more Betas got injured though. They were protecting the Omegas down in the village because they drew all the Alphas up to the mountainside. I wasn't there but I'm told it was pretty much a bloodbath. The Omegas are looking after them too."

Taeyeon nodded again.

"Good. I don't want anybody else dying tonight."

"How are we handling the funeral?" Yuri asked her, if a little hesitantly.

"We wait until tomorrow." Taeyeon answered, not allowing any emotion to creep into her voice. "I want everyone to recover as best they can first and foremost. Then we'll deal with the ritual. I just... can't think about it all now."

Yuri nodded in understanding.

"I'll go and make sure everything's in order. Oh and Taeyeon?"

Taeyeon turned her head slightly towards Yuri and nodded for her to speak.

"I'm sorry."

Taeyeon didn't answer this, not trusting herself to do so without crying, which would not have done for the next Alpha Female to be. So instead she turned her back on her best friend and strode over to her hut, taking the time when alone to finally cry in peace.

***

"What's happening? What's wrong?"

Nichkhun pushed his way to the front of the circle surrounding Tiffany, clutching his own injured side, and his eyes darkened in rage as he saw her injury. Teeth marks, deep and indented, red raw skin across her pale shoulder. Crouching down beside her, he inhaled heavily, searching for an unfamiliar sent amongst that of Tiffany's blood. And it was definitely there, despite the harsh, metallic scent of iron threatening to overwhelm it.

"That's Alpha scent..." he growled. "Jeolla Alpha."

A ripple of uneasiness and outrage ran through the pack, the Alphas in particular raising their hackles in an instant. For they were already bitter and hyped up on the need to avenge those they had lost in taking down the Jeolla pack leader.

"How dare they? How dare those scum bite our Omega!" Nichkhun growled, beginning to pace back and forth, his face muscles twitching and his jaw tightening in anger.

"They shall pay for this, those filthy bastards! I will find the Alpha bitch that did this and I shall rip their heart from their chest! For we may have taken their Alpha Male, but they have crossed a sacred line. They have dirtied the blood of our most innocent, our Omegas!"

A crescendo of copycat growls and snarls rose up across the pack, right up from the furious, fiery anger of the Alphas, to the indignation of the Betas, right down to the solidarity of being the Omegas had for Tiffany, that an Alpha from another pack would dare mark an Omega from theirs, with their teeth no less.

"Mark my words, Jeolla." Nichkhun exclaimed, turning back in the direction of Jeonju, his eyes black with accusation. "I shall raise your territory to the ground, and your pack will become ashes in the fires of my fury. The Gwangju's shall rule this country, and all wolf-bloods will bow to our might."


	3. Too Early

Taeyeon lay awake, staring at the ceiling of her hut, unable to sleep. As the unofficial Alpha-in-charge now, she was already beginning to take on the brunt of her pack's pain and anxiety, that pulsed through the bond like a headache, a constant dull throb in her chest. Taeyeon had always known of course, that one day she would have to take on this responsibility. But to have to do it all so suddenly, and when she was still so young? The challenge would've intimidated even the strongest of Alphas.

She turned over, curling up slightly into a more foetal sleeping position, hoping the change into a more puppy-like sleeping stance would help to calm and relax her. But it seemed that sleep was just not on the cards for her that night, as no matter what she did, she never felt anymore tired, nor anymore likely to drift off anytime soon.

With a groan of frustration, Taeyeon turned back over onto her back and went back to staring up at the ceiling.

The next day was quiet, with most people staying in bed recovering, or else helping with the injuries of those who had been involved in the thick of the fight. A pack of Betas who had managed to get away from the fight with minimal injuries, helped to round up the bodies of the dead Gwangju pack members and having no real idea what to do with them, set about digging a mass grave. For there was no protocol for the preservation of the bodies of pack members from another pack. It was always presumed that the pack in question would carry home their dead, which the Gwangju's had not.

Taeyeon herself stayed shut up in her hut, not able to sleep but not able to face the other members of her pack either. So instead she stayed in her hut, pacing back and forth impatiently as she thought about everything she had yet to do now that the responsibilities of the pack had fallen onto her.

Staying cooped up all day wasn't what she was used to however, and Taeyeon found herself periodically, throughout the day, engaging in reps of sit ups and push ups, trying to work through the excess of nervous energy building up inside of her.

The funeral ritual took place in the evening, everything cast dark with shadow, the only light being the flickering of fiery torches held aloft by the Alphas. Her father's body, draped in animal skins and with pack marks painted in red all across his skin, had been laid on a funeral pyre in the centre of the village, surrounded by a circle of stones and mud to prevent the fire from spreading.

A heavy silence settled over the pack, watching, shoulder to shoulder in a tight-packed circle, as Taeyeon stepped up to the funeral pyre, flaming torch in hand. She paused for a moment, her eyes lingering on the sallow face of her dead father, before she knelt down and pressed the end of the torch to the base of the pyre, setting it alight.

Everyone was quiet, mellowed into silence by the sincerity of the ritual, and all watched as the body was slowly burnt to ash. Taeyeon stood as close by to the pyre as she could get, the heat a step away from unbearable, the smoke stinging at her eyes and throat and yet still she stood there, the flames from the fire replicated in miniature, flickering across her steely gaze.

As the body began to lose shape, breaking down into a form no longer recognisable as a person, Taeyeon finally tore her eyes away from the funeral pyre and instead focused on her pack, taking a step away from the fire and addressing them in a voice loud enough that they could all hear.

"Our Alpha Male is dead, and with his death must come the appointment of a new pack leader. And it is with the permission of the pack that I should be allowed to fulfil that legacy." Taeyeon turned to the torch wielding Alphas. "Alphas. As the leaders and defenders of all in our pack, I ask of you. May it be so, upon your authority?"

As the secondary Alpha, Yuri's father was the one who accepted Taeyeon's charge, kneeling down and bowing his head, one hand resting across his shoulder.

"It may be so, upon authority of the Alpha line."

Taeyeon nodded and turned to the Beta representative of the group, a strong young woman by name of Hyoyeon.

"Betas. I ask of you, as the backbone of our pack and the carriers of our population, may it be so, upon your authority?"

Hyoyeon knelt the same way and nodded.

"It may be so, upon authority of the Beta line."

Taeyeon nodded again and then took a step closer to the Omegas, who were huddled in a tight-knit group off to the side of the funeral pyre, feeling rather more venerable than usual without the unseen protection of their Alpha Male within them.

"Finally, I call upon you, our Omegas. Do you trust the decision put forth by our dead Alpha Male? Do you feel strength and comfort in my leadership? Consider this, I ask of you, may it be so, upon your authority?"

Rather than one representative in particular, all of the Omegas, as the most submissive, knelt before Taeyeon, before one of them spoke up, a young man.

"In the words of us all, it may be so, upon authority of the Omega line."

Taeyeon nodded, bowing her head and closing her eyes, feeling the way a warmth had formed in her chest, growing steadily as the point of ritual transfer came ever closer. She inhaled slowly, taking in the scent of smoke, intermingled with the collective scent of her pack.

Concentrating hard, Taeyeon flexed the muscles in her arm until the claws on her right hand popped out, unsheathed and glinting under the light of the torches. She then pressed her claws to the part of her chest that was above her heart and raked them across her skin, leaving a slight bloodied imprint resting there. Her claws then retracted, leaving the blood to pool in her hand.

"Then may it be so." she announced, opening her eyes to look upon the fire once more. "Upon the authority of my pack and under the eye of the moon, that I hereby take on the title of Alpha Female. And may the pack thrive under our bond."

Taeyeon held her hand over the ashes of the funeral pyre and opened it, watching the blood drip down and mix with the still burning remains of her father's body. And across the pack, a warmth ran through the blood of them all, their hearts beating practically as one, a sign of acceptance for their new pack leader and the bond that united them under her. 

As the power of the new pack bond slowly began to seep away, a silence preceded the end of the ritual, a few minutes of contemplation and stillness. Taeyeon herself was focusing heavily on her breathing, trying now to cope with her new responsibility as leader, now that the calming air of the ritual was wearing off. And so once she felt the moment had passed, she turned back to face her pack and spoke up.

"Now let us retire to bed. Many of you are still injured and I want my pack as strong and healthy as they can be. We'll start work on the new defences tomorrow."

A general murmur of assent ran through the pack and they began to split off, heading back to their huts, some of the more injured being helped by those around them. Kai in particular was having to practically be held up by an Alpha on each side, limping heavily with each step. Taeyeon frowned as she watched him, feeling as if she were somehow personally responsible for his suffering, as the new pack leader.

Taeyeon turned her face halfway towards the still burning ashes of the funeral pyre, looking upon the last remains of her parentage as her father too was committed to the ground. Then she turned around and headed back to her hut.

***

Tiffany shifted slightly and groaned, as she began to stir from the previous state of unconsciousness she had been in. Due to blood-loss, she had been out cold for almost twenty-four hours, and had been carried into the makeshift med tent by Nichkhun to be cared for by her fellow Omegas. Right now, only Juhyun was there, crouched beside her bed and watching her with a look of fearful concern.

"Tippani?" she inquired, as the girl in the bed before her began to shift under the covers.

"Hmm..." Tiffany mumbled in reply.

Straightening up, Juhyun moved to the table in the corner of the tent to retrieve a bowl of water and a rag, which she then used to gently sponge Tiffany's forehead with cool water. Tiffany herself allowed Juhyun to do this, feeling too tired and weak to even try and move any more. After a few minutes of care from her fellow Omega however, Juhyun finally asked a question of Tiffany, albeit slightly hesitantly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Weak." Tiffany mumbled, her voice hoarse. "What... what happened?"

Juhyun bit her lip, chewing it nervously.

"We had to retreat from the battle, I don't know if you heard... and then Luhan found you. When he first saw you he thought you were dead."

"So did I." Tiffany admitted, groaning slightly in pain as a dull throb pulsed through her head, the beginnings of a headache.

"Well he managed to carry you all the way back to camp. We were all quite worried, especially... especially Nichkhun." Juhyun paused for a moment upon saying this, judging Tiffany's reaction before continuing. "He got very angry about the bite on your shoulder."

Tiffany looked surprised, as if only just having remembered why she was in bed injured in the first place.

"Oh... yeah. That- that was..."

"We know it was an Alpha that bit you. Nichkhun said the scent was in the bite."

Tiffany frowned although it was hard to distinguish through her droopy eyes and sleepy expression.

"I was only doing what he told me to..." Tiffany mumbled.

Juhyun gave her a curious look.

"What d'you mean?"

But by this time, Tiffany's head had already lolled back against the pillows and she had fallen into a state of blissfully drowsy unconsciousness once again.

***

Taeyeon kicked back her bed covers in frustration, the warm cotton far too stifling for her to be comfortable. Ever since her father's death, her insomnia had only gotten worse. For not only was she stressed constantly by the responsibility she now had to keep the pack together, that had so untimely been thrust upon her, but she had also become suddenly plagued by a constant irritable heat, that itched and clawed it's way across her skin, preventing any semblance of a chance at good sleep or concentration.

She could hear the rain pattering lightly on the rooftop of her hut, and decided then that she would take a run out in it, to try and cool off and sort through her thoughts.

Upon stepping out into the rain, she immediately closed her eyes, turning her face up to the sky and letting the drops of water wash over her face. It didn't quite stop the strange heat from raging it's way across her body, but it certainly helped and she started a steady stroll through the village, allowing the rain to soak through her thin night clothes and start to help her cool off.

She ended up crouched by the small river that ran parallel to the edge of the village, extending down from the mountainside, and cupping a handful of water from it to rub her face in. It helped somewhat, but the heat was still always there, a constant lingering presence, that felt as if a fire had been started in her very heart.

It had been almost two weeks since she had undertaken the ritual to become the Alpha Female, and Taeyeon had been starting to wonder whether or not what was happening to her was a side effect of this, or whether it was just a coincidence.

Placing her feet in the cooling water of the river, she lent back against her hands and closed her eyes, trying to remember when the symptoms had started, and what possibly could have caused them. And feeling this fire in her chest right now, she found that she did remember feeling like this before. When the Gwangju's had attacked and she had been help prisoner by that Omega, forced to listen to the panicked howls of her pack crying out for help, she had felt the same sort of fire, building up inside her chest and raging like a river of magma through her blood.

And Taeyeon found herself suddenly thinking about that Omega, about the way they had pressed their body tight up against hers, their heavy breathing against her neck, and the way their scent gland had become so intensified, their sweat and fear causing a scent unlike Taeyeon had ever taken in before-

Taeyeon's eyes flew open, her hands grasping tightly at the grass fibres of the riverbank, as she felt a sudden pressure against her thigh. For it was a feeling she was familiar with but didn't altogether like. The beginnings of a hard on.

Shit.

Well, when she thought about it that way, it all made sense. The unnatural heat, the prickly skin, the strange tightness in her pelvis. The way she had become more easily annoyed, more irritable. Everything was a symptom of the rut. But... her rut wasn't due for another week, and she had been feeling like this for a while now. So... what was happening to her?

Not once in Taeyeon's life had her rut ever come early. Quite strangely for an Alpha, Taeyeon's natural sex drive, outside of the way her hormone imbalance made her feel during the rut, was relatively low, and she had never felt any sort of inclination to mate outside of the rut itself. And perhaps this was part of the reason why she had yet to find a mate, simply because no other person had ever appealed to her in such a way before.

But now, for some reason unknown to her, her Alpha sexuality seemed to be manifesting itself outside of it's appropriate time. And this worried Taeyeon.

For you see, although nobody had said as such, Taeyeon had felt only ever more strongly, the pressure from her pack to find a mate, now that she was the Alpha Female. And Alphas, by their very nature, were supposed to be very good at this. Finding and pursuing a mate was something Alphas had adapted to be able to do better than anyone, but Taeyeon being as she was, had never found such things easy. But now, now... what was happening to her now?

What was this? A message from her body, telling her to hurry up and get it over with? Or perhaps, had her encounter with the Omega awakened something new within her, giving her a new lust for Omega scent, and was finally urging her to go and seek one out for her own?

Taeyeon pulled her feet out of the river and crouched down in the dirt, pressing her hands down into the cooling mud, and began breathing harder, near enough hyper-ventilating. For she could feel the urges building up inside her even now. The urge to seek out, to chase, to claim. The urge to _mate_ . Taeyeon shook her head, tears threatening the corners of her eyes, refusing to accept that she was feeling this way.

"Not now... it- it's too- early..." she muttered, her hands clenching into fists around the mud.

Somehow though, somewhere in her hormone crazed mind, Taeyeon did manage to dredge up a single thought of self-decency. For what kind of Alpha Female was she, to ever be found crouched in the dirt, crying, scared about her upcoming rut like an inexperienced pup. But she was a leader, an _Alpha_ , the supposed paragon of strength and self-control in the pack. How could it be that she was all this, and yet was also this pathetic creature, lying in the mud, barely able to stand?

Taeyeon knew that, as leader, she should at least inform someone, even if it was just Yuri, about what was happening to her. But in that moment, all Taeyeon could think about was the legacy of her father that she had promised to uphold, and the shame that betraying her pride by revealing such weakness to her Alphas would bring.

So instead she forced herself into a crouch and then began a steady running crawl, disappearing into the darkness, heading for her secret cave in the Tokdaal Valley to ride out the hell of a rut that she had just been so untimely thrust into.

***

Tiffany curled around her stomach, bunching the sheets up in her arms and groaning. Since getting back to their village in Gwangju, she had been resigned to bed on Nichkhun's orders, to, in his words, 'preserve his Omega'. The very words themselves made her shudder, but right now she was rather indifferent as to the reason she had been isolated from the rest of the pack. For any reason for her to be away from Nichkhun seemed a good one to her.

At first he had made attempts to visit her, most of the time successfully, but the two Omegas assigned to watch over her, Yoona and Juhyun, soon began to notice how uncomfortable his visits made her, and had managed to make him stop visiting, somehow asserting themselves over an Alpha. And Tiffany could only assume that it was the natural caring and protective nature of Omegas for those sick and injured, that allowed them to get away with this behaviour towards an Alpha.

And right now, she couldn't have been more glad that Nichkhun had stopped visiting her, for as far as she could tell, something was wrong with her, far extended from the injury on her shoulder, which had now almost healed.

She had woken up that morning feeling unusually hot, and with a peculiar tightness in her pelvis and abdomen, which had felt at first like something akin to period cramps. But the symptoms had steadily gotten worse, sweat breaking out all over her skin, dampening all down the back of her shirt and causing her hair to stick in bits to her forehead. The pain in her abdomen soon evened out into a solid lump of heat in the centre of her body, like a ball of iron in a furnace, and her skin as a result felt prickly, itchy, and very hot to the touch.

And it wasn't soon after these symptoms had reached their peak, that Tiffany began to wonder if this was the beginnings of her heat.

She'd of course, had heats before, and they hadn't felt unlike this. And they were called heats for a reason, for their purpose was to prepare the body for mating, which essentially resulted in a lot of excess heat. But never in her life had Tiffany ever experienced a heat with this sort of intensity before. For it practically felt as if she were being burnt alive from the inside.

But somehow, somewhere in her mind, she still harboured a kernel of confusion. For her heat wasn't due for just over a week, and she had never known it to come early before.

But any doubts that were in her mind that this couldn't be her heat, soon disappeared when in amongst the pulsing warmth in her abdomen, she felt a sudden strong pull, a desire deep within her. And her mind was suddenly filled with only one thought and one inclination. To find a mate and to... well, _mate_ with them, to put it bluntly.

A wave of fear ran over her and she swallowed hard, hands grasping at the bed sheets. Hitting the heat early was always bad news, as it meant that the Omega in question had no time to prepare, and therefore was far more venerable to the possible ministrations of Alphas. And considering the intensity in which her heat was rocking through her now, she could only imagine how strong the pheromones she was giving off were.

And then, as if summoned by that very thought, Yoona suddenly hurried into the hut, looking anxious and jumpy. She paused by the door, inhaling deeply and then rushed to Tiffany's side, pressing the back of her head against her forehead.

"Jesus... you're burning up. Early heat is it?"

Tiffany managed to nod and answered through gritted teeth.

"It's never been this... bad- before..."

"Um..." Yoona started, nervously glancing over her shoulder before turning back to Tiffany. "I think that uh, Nichkhun. I think he's caught scent of you. He's pacing around outside. Me and Juhyun don't know what to do with him."

Tiffany's eyes widened in fear and she shook her head violently, reaching forward shakily to grasp Yoona's hands.

"Please... don't let him get near me. I... I don't- I don't want him. Not him..."

Yoona frowned, thinking hard about what she could do, before she nodded.

"Okay. I'll find a way to keep him away. But we have to get you down to your nest. You'll be safe from him there."

Tiffany's face visibly paled.

"B- but, how are we going to get past him?"

"Don't worry, I've got an idea. Stay there. I'll send Juhyun in to wait with you."

Yoona disappeared in a hurry, and all Tiffany could do was groan and close her eyes again, curling herself into a ball around the bed covers. Juhyun entered a few seconds later and kept a close watch over her, her eyebrows turned down into a strong frown.

Yoona soon returned however with a pack of Betas behind her, including Sooyoung, Soonkyu, Luhan and a few more of the strongest Betas in the pack. She and Juhyun then helped Tiffany out of the bed, wrapping her in a blanket to best try and block the scent, before the exited the med hut, making their way over to the building within which Tiffany's nest was in.

Nichkhun immediately snapped his head round as she exited the hut, and his eyes lit up with excitement and lust. Yoona eyed the way he was straining his muscles, as if trying to stop himself from pouncing on some poor defenceless prey. Out of instinctive protection for her fellow Omega, Yoona moved closer to Tiffany's side, blocking her from Nichkhun's sight. 

Hyped up on Tiffany's scent, Nichkhun attempt to break through the circle of Betas surrounding her, but was pushed back with a flurry of growls and attempted nips. His eyes darkened slightly, clearly from frustration at having his advances denied, but when he tried again, it was actually Luhan who brought his hackles up and blocked him, squaring off with his Alpha. Nichkhun gave a disappointed snarl, eyeing Luhan distrustfully, but eventually backed off from Tiffany, watching her longingly as the Betas successfully transferred her to her nest.

Tiffany was shaking with nerves as she curled up in the pile of blankets and comforting objects that she had put together into what was now her nest, back when she was a young pup, about to experience her first heat.

The objects were a mixture of clothes, blankets, toys and other pieces of soft material, some of which she had kept since childhood, some of which were more recent acquisitions, and others of which belonged to her now long dead mother. Her scent still lingered on them, if you inhaled deeply enough, but it was now long faded from the scent it had once been.

During the journey across the village, she had been intensely aware of Nichkhun's attention for her, for she too could sense his arousal at having caught her in heat. And she supposed that she couldn't blame him, for after all, it was only natural of a Alpha to feel such a way. But despite this, she still felt horrified by the prospect of mating with him, and even more horrified by the notion that in her hormone addled brain, she might actually let him.

Juhyun watched Tiffany curl up, shivering in her nest, and frowned. It wasn't nice to see one of her fellow Omegas in such a state, for indeed, she had never seen or experienced herself, a heat this intense before. Kneeling beside Tiffany, she cradled the poor girl's head in her lap and began stroking her hair, shushing her whimpers gently.

Biting her lip, she began to think about the future, and worry about what might happen to Tiffany. If her heats continued to be this bad, Juhyun could only assume that it was a sign that she needed to find a mate. And if so, then it was going to be hard for her and the rest of the pack, no matter how hard they tried, to keep Nichkhun away from her.

Tiffany let out a small groan and curled up into an even tighter ball, tucking her knees under her chin and her face into her knees. Juhyun stroked a sweat-soaked strand of hair away from her forehead and kissed the spot in an effort to comfort her.

"I'm going to leave you alone now, okay?" she asked, searching for confirmation. For usually it was better to leave an Omega to ride out their heat alone, rather than attempt to try and get them through it. For only an Omega's mate could ever properly play that role.

Tiffany nodded and Juhyun gently eased herself out from underneath her, climbing the stairs up from the basement of Tiffany's hut and shutting the door hastily behind her. She knew now that she would be covered in pheromones from Tiffany, which would not be a help to either of them in the presence of Alphas, and so went off to go and take a bath, making sure to lock the door to the basement behind her.

She still felt uneasy however, as she made her way over to her own hut, about Tiffany's safety. For it was not unheard of for the most aggressive of Alphas, during the heats of Omegas they were going after, to rip down doors in order to reach them, especially if they themselves were in the middle of their rut. And so she took a quick detour to see Luhan first.

"Ah, Luhan. Can I ask you to do something for me?"

Luhan nodded, looking anxious. Obviously he could smell the distress and intensity in the scent Tiffany had left behind on Juhyun.

"Of course, anything."

"I'm worried, about Nichkhun mainly. I was wondering if you could possibly sit outside Tiffany's nest. The door's locked, but I don't want to leave it unguarded. Y'know what Gwangju Alphas can get like."

Luhan nodded. 

"Yeah, sure."

Juhyun gave him a weak smile.

"Thank you Luhan. I'll come and take over from you, after my bath."

Luhan nodded again and set off in the direction of Tiffany's hut, as Juhyun watched his retreating back. A smile playing across her face, as she considered Luhan carefully. She knew that he had somewhat of a puppy love for Tiffany, although of course, was too scared to ever voice it, especially in comparison to the attentions of Nichkhun. But she couldn't help thinking that Luhan and Tiffany were almost definitely a much better match than her and Nichkhun ever would be.

But then again, as an Omega herself, Juhyun knew the type of Omega that Tiffany was. She was an Omega that needed a strong mate, an _Alpha_ . And put simply, it was quite clear that Luhan would just never be enough for her.


	4. A Ritual Courting

Taeyeon lay against the cool stone of the cave ledge, her knees brought up to her chin as she gripped them tightly, her slightly protruding claws digging into the fabric of her trousers. She was sweating hard, the heat from her rut having only intensified since it's beginning, and the pain from the pressure in her pelvis was near excruciating, causing her teeth to be clamped tight shut together. Already there were white claws marks along the walls and floor of the cave ledge, deep grooves scraped in by Taeyeon as she tried to work through the pain of her rut. She imagined that she would hate what she looked like now, a feral beast, completely out of control of it's own body and desires. Or perhaps even a coward, running away and isolating themselves, too ashamed to face their pack with a display of such weakness.

Her face was smeared with dirt from where it had been pressed up against the cave floor, and there were tear tracks in the dirt, regrettable signs of weakness.

For never in her life had Taeyeon felt both so like and so unlike an Alpha all at once. For it was certain that before experiencing this rut, Taeyeon had had no idea what it truly felt like to be an Alpha. To have such an overwhelming need to mate and to claim, that you lost all sense of who you were and became pure instinct, passion turning to anger and arousal to pain, as the rut pushed her to the extremes. But then, how unlike an Alpha was she, to show such weakness in the face of something she should be more than adequately prepared for. A real Alpha would be out right now, seeking a mate, or hell, a _real_ Alpha would already have a mate by now. But she had put it off, insisted she wasn't ready, and life had punched her in the gut as a reply, ridding her of the safety blanket that was her father and thrusting the rut of a lifetime straight onto her as further punishment.

Another throbbing stab of pain shot through Taeyeon's abdomen and she swore, her claws digging a touch too far into her knees, drawing blood. But the pain was nothing compared to what she was already experiencing, and acted almost as a relief, a slight distraction from the greater agony of her insides.

"Fuck..."

Taeyeon swore again, biting her lip hard enough to draw even more blood, the taste sharp and metallic on her tongue. And she was suddenly reminded by this, of the Omega she had bitten during the Gwangju attack, and how the taste hadn't left her mouth for days after. And speaking of, neither had the memory of that Omega. Taeyeon closed her eyes, allowing herself to think about that poor Omega. About how scared they had seemed, and she wondered what the Alphas in their pack had presumably done to them to make them behave in such a way, to take a knife to the throat of an Alpha, ready to kill even though they themselves were terrified, hand trembling even when closed around the blade.

And for a brief moment, the pain almost seemed to disappear, ebbing away as the tightness in her pelvis loosened up, if only for that moment, before it came back just as savagely and intensely as it had been before, launching yet another attack on Taeyeon's increasingly fragile psyche.

***

Yuri sat on the river bank and sighed, her eyebrows set into a hard frown. It had been almost four days now since Taeyeon had disappeared without trace, and although she had left a trail of scent from her hut, the trail stopped abruptly by the riverside, the water disrupting the pheromones so that they couldn't be picked up.

Judging by the strength of Taeyeon's scent in her hut, Yuri had ascertained that she had probably hit her rut early, and not being prepared for it, had gone into hiding to ride it out without being able to tell anyone. But now the pack was leaderless and angsty, on edge about what they should do. For they were all still dealing with the aftermath of the attack, and without Taeyeon's guidance, it was just all the more difficult to do so.

But not ten minutes after she had sat down on the river bank, did a disturbance from among the trees on the other side make her ears perk up, and suddenly something emerged from within them, half-staggering, half crawling across the ground.

And Yuri's eyes widened as she realised that it was actually Taeyeon who was crawling along the ground towards her. She was extremely pale, with dark circles under her eyes, her hair ragged and messy, and she was hunched over as if in great pain, one hand held to her stomach and the other grasping at the dirt and pulling her along. Her clothes too were punctured and ripped, with bloodstains on the legs, knees and arms. Yuri stumbled forward, scrambling across the river to get to the opposite bank and help support Taeyeon. And Taeyeon allowed her to do so, although was also visibly attempting to support herself, not wanting to appear too weak.

"Jesus Taeng, what the hell happened to you?"

"I um... the rut..."

"I guessed, when you disappeared, that it had come early. But Christ, you look like you've just gone ten rounds with a mega-bear."

Taeyeon shook her head, looking almost as if she were about to faint.

"I can't do it Yuri."

"Can't do what?"

"I can't go through another rut like that. It was hell. Absolute hell on earth."

"We all have bad ruts Taeyeon-"

Taeyeon shook her head.

"No Yuri. Not like this one. I knew that it can hurt sometimes, but it was pure agony. It hurt so much... I- I thought I was dying."

"Well y'know what you have to do, don't you?"

Taeyeon groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"Yeah..." she mumbled. "But, how do I find my mate if I don't know who they are? If they were part of our pack, surely I would've sensed it by now?"

Yuri cocked her head to the side for a moment, thinking.

"Well, there is one thing you can do."

Taeyeon raised her face from her hands.

"What?"

"Well, my mother told me once that mates aren't just connected by scent and physical attraction, but that often, their souls are actually intertwined somehow. And that's why it's so difficult to move on when you lose your mate, or why relationships with those that aren't your mate never usually work out so well, because they're based purely on attraction."

"Okay, so..." Taeyeon prompted.

"Yes well, because you and your mate's soul are connected, apparently there's a ritual you can do that can help draw your souls towards each other."

Taeyeon's eyes lit up slightly.

"Really? It helps you find your mate?"

"It's supposed to yeah. I'm not sure how reliable it is though."

"Well how does it work?"

"I can't remember off the top of my head. Hang on, my mother has a book on rituals at home, it'll be in there. But let's get you back home first and then I'll go see if I can find it."

Taeyeon nodded and Yuri tucked her arm under her shoulder, helping Taeyeon make her slow progress back up to the village.

***

It was after the fifth night of her heat that Tiffany woke up to find it finally over. The past five days had been some of the worst of her life, putting her through a heat more intense than she'd ever had before. At some points it had gotten so bad that she had just curled up and cried into her knees, genuinely believing that her body was trying to kill her. But Yoona and Juhyun had been positive angels throughout it all, sensing that this was no ordinary heat. They had made sure that she stayed hydrated to replace all the water she was losing through sweating, as well as making sure that no Alphas, especially Nichkhun, got anywhere near to where she was nesting.

Tiffany stretched out in her nest of blankets and clothes, basking in the relieving coolness of the room now that she was no longer constantly burning up from the inside. The heat had made sleeping difficult, so she spent the next hour or so dozing in the comfort of her nest, not quite feeling up to venturing outside just yet.

A gentle knock on the door eventually brought her out of her daze, and she sat up as the person who had knocked unlocked the door from the outside. It turned out to be Yoona, who was holding a cup of water in one hand.

"Hey..." she said, seeming pleasantly surprised. "You look... better."

Tiffany nodded.

"I think it's passed, finally."

"Well thank God for that." Yoona said, crouching beside her and handing her the cup, which Tiffany drank gratefully.

"It does make me wonder why it was so bad this time in particular." Tiffany mused.

Yoona shrugged.

"Sometimes they're like that I suppose. We can't control our biology."

"Hmm." Tiffany agreed, although only halfheartedly. "It's just, I was wondering if maybe it was to do with something else. Like... finding a mate, perhaps."

Yoona considered this with a small nod.

"I suppose having a mate would make heats like this a lot more bearable. You think your body's trying to tell you something?"

Tiffany shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe. It was just a thought."

Tiffany winced suddenly, as a sharp tug followed by a blossoming warmth erupted across her chest, a force attempting to drag her away. Her hand moved to her chest, grasping at the fabric as if trying to pull the force away from bothering her, but the warmth persisted under her palm, impossible to take hold of and take away.

"Tippani? Are you okay?"

Tiffany didn't reply for a moment, but then nodded hastily.

"Um, yeah... yeah. I'm fine."

"Did you want to come and join us for dinner?"

"Um... no. I think... I think I'll go down to the river. I could do with a swim. Get rid of all the sweat from the heat."

Yoona smiled.

"Sure. Just be careful okay? And if Nichkhun asks, I'll tell him you're still down here." Yoona said, more quietly, and winked.

"Thanks Yoona."

"No problem. Us Omegas have to stick together, hmm?"

***

"Are you sure about this?"

"It's what it says in the book."

"Wolfsbane seems pretty extreme though."

"So long as you're careful it should be fine."

Taeyeon nodded, but then a troubled look came over her face.

"Shit wait, it's the run tonight isn't it? What do I do, I can't skip the run. I'm the leader."

"Well, I don't think anybody knows that you're back yet. So I'll just tell them that you're still on the rut. My dad can lead the run tonight."

Taeyeon smiled.

"Thanks Yuri, you're the best."

"Hey now, anything to finally stop your whining and get you a mate at last."

Taeyeon gasped in mock offence and punched Yuri's shoulder.

"And to think, I thought you were helping me out of the kindness of your own heart."

"Of course I am you idiot." Yuri said, ruffling Taeyeon's hair. "Now just get on with it."

Taeyeon nodded and crouched down in front of the bowl of water she had poured out for the ritual. They were doing it outside, for if the ritual was to work, a reflection of the moon had to visible in the water. Nervously, she reached for the spring of wolfsbane and crushed it in her hand, dropping the remains into the water and allowing it to mix. She then forced her claws out from her knuckles and cut a small groove in her neck, where a mating bite would be. Cupping her hand against the skin, she collected the blood, letting it pool in her palm.

"Say the words then." Yuri prompted.

Taeyeon swallowed and cleared her throat, before holding her hand out over the bowl and beginning to say aloud the words of the ritual.

"The blood moon, be my ally tonight. Singe the strands of my being, in the fires of passion. Born-lover, I am anew, born in blood be you. Under the mantle of darkness, illuminated under you alone, I ask for connection, forgiveness in separation, for retribution in the reform of two souls. Blood-soul, blood bond. Two wolves under the moon."

As she has spoken, her blood had slowly been dripping down her hand and into the bowl of moonlit wolfsbane, and as the ritual words came to an end, the blood began to swirl in the water, almost fusing with the wolfsbane somehow, and small puffs of smoke began to emit from the bowl, twisting into connected shapes in the air before disappearing. And suddenly then, Taeyeon's chest was filled with a strong warmth, and a powerful tugging sensation wrapped itself around her heart, pulling her away from the village.

"Yuri, it's working! It's calling me. It's drawing my soul to theirs."

"Well go on then, go find them."

Taeyeon grinned at Yuri and then set off running, following the pull in her chest that was only getting stronger as she got closer and closer to her mate.

***

Tiffany ducked her head under the water, swimming downriver and allowing the current to partially carry her. Typical of an Omega, she preferred this type of swimming, in opposition to Alphas, who when they had all gone swimming as pups, preferred to swim upriver, liking the challenge of forcing themselves against the current.

At one point, the river widened out into a small pool, that was deeper than the rest of the river and was surrounded by outcrops of rocks. Tiffany resurfaced and lay on her back, letting herself float aimlessly for a while now that the current had lost it's pull on her. Looking up at the rocky outcrops, she was reminded of her days as a pup once more. How the Alphas would all challenge each other as to who could jump off the highest rock into the pool, as the Betas and Omegas watched them, paddling their feet in the water from a safe distance.

Tiffany often wished that she could go back to being a pup once more, or at least have the same atmosphere now as they had had then. For when they were pups, although there had of course, been a divide between the different factions, they had all gotten on together. But as an adult, it now seemed almost taboo to mix outside of your individual groups of Alphas, Betas and Omegas, unless of course, one was looking for a mate.

And Tiffany then also wondered if things were the same in all other packs, or if it was just hers in particular that acted this way. Because if there were such things as gentle Alphas in the world, as she had heard there was, then surely there would be packs out there that worked in harmony, all factions uniting together. A real _pack._

Still floating, her eyes moved from the rocks up to the sky, that was fast approaching nighttime. Already, stars were visible, twinkling in the dark, and the moon was just starting to become visible. Back home in the village, they would be preparing for the run, and Tiffany was strangely relieved that just this once, she had an excuse not to attend. She was unsure for how long she floated, just enjoying the solitude and the coolness of the water. But throughout it all, that same warmth from before continued to pulsate in her chest, not the same sort of warmth as her heat but rather a more comforting, protective one, like a warm hug from someone you love.

But it was with a sudden disturbance to this unnatural feeling of inner peace, that Tiffany became aware that she was being watched.

High up on the rocks stood a person, cast in shadow but still visible nonetheless. Tiffany kicked forwards, righting herself from floating on her back, and watched the person fearfully, wondering if she should run while she had the chance. And it seemed that the person had spotted her too, and perhaps much longer ago, Tiffany had no way of telling, as they were staring right at her, examining, considering.

They approached the edge of the pool slowly, clambering over the rocks in way that only a wolf-blood would do. Tiffany exhaled slowly, a little less nervous now that she knew she wasn't about to be caught out by a human. Their steps were sure and steady, their eyes not leaving hers as they got closer and closer to her, and Tiffany already felt sure that she knew what they were. Because although she couldn't be certain, the way this wolf-blood was built, and the way they held themselves... well, they were _all_ Alpha.

The sky now had darkened considerably further, casting the ground in a wash of pale white moonlight. In particular, the bank next to the edge of the pool was cast in this glow, and it was as the wolf-blood stepped into it, that Tiffany got her first proper look at them.

They were a woman, quite small for someone she had assumed to be an Alpha, but she was well-built too. She had a young face, although not in a way that made her look childish, and her hair was long and dark, with a few lighter streaks at the ends. She also seemed somehow familiar, although Tiffany couldn't imagine from where. The Alpha cocked her head to the side, considering Tiffany carefully, and Tiffany found herself swimming away slightly, nervous of the attentions of a foreign Alpha.

"Don't be scared."

The Alpha crouched down slightly on the bank across from Tiffany and smiled at her. It was a gentle smile, full of encouragement, and Tiffany felt no animosity from it towards her. It was too early to tell of course, but Tiffany couldn't help but wonder if maybe this was one of the Alphas she had heard about. The kind ones, who treated Omegas with respect and dignity, not like objects to be hoarded, or prey to be chased.

"Please don't be scared." the Alpha repeated, looking concerned. "I don't want to hurt you."

Tiffany didn't back away any further, but likewise, didn't get any closer to the Alpha either.

"What... _do_ you want then?" she asked, cautiously.

"Well..." the Alpha started, smiling a little, absentmindedly. "I'd quite like to ask what you're doing all the way out here alone. You must be a long way from home."

"Suppose I am." Tiffany replied, a little more defiantly than she ever would've dared to be with an Alpha from her own pack. "What's it to you?"

The corner of the Alpha's mouth turned up into a slight smirk and she straightened up, rolling her shoulders back as if loosening them.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked.

Tiffany thought about this for a moment before she shook her head and kicked backwards, giving the Alpha room to dive into the pool, which she did, still fully clothed but only after having taken off her boots and socks. She resurfaced about a metre or so away from her, her eyes closed and her head lent back, as if enjoying the coolness of the water. And when she opened her eyes again, she found Tiffany watching her and she smiled, her eyes twinkling with a strange captivation.

"It's the night of the run tonight." she commented, treading water lightly. "Shouldn't you be at home with your pack?"

Tiffany felt a sudden need to defend her reasoning for being out here alone, even though the Alpha's comment had by no means demanded justification from her.

"I've just finished my heat and I felt like cooling off in the river. I'm only an Omega anyway, they won't miss me in the run."

The Alpha looked surprised.

"Be it as it may that you are an Omega, your pack should still miss you regardless. The run is not complete without all it's members."

Tiffany was taken aback by this statement, having not ever interacted in this way with an Alpha before. They seemed almost too nice, too approachable, and Tiffany wondered if perhaps they were just an over-confident Beta. So she decided to test the waters a little, ahem, so to speak.

"Well what about you then? You're an Alpha aren't you? You shall certainly be missed. So what brings you away from your pack tonight?"

The Alpha didn't refute this, reinforcing that this was indeed what they were, and they seemed to think carefully about their answer before providing it.

"Perhaps I too felt like having a little break from my pack."

"I thought packs were everything to an Alpha." Tiffany challenged.

"I could say the same about Omegas." the Alpha shot back, smiling. "And yet, here we both are. Away from our packs and completely fancy free about it."

A moment of silence proceeded this, Tiffany still remaining on her guard around the personable Alpha.

"What's your name?" Tiffany eventually asked her.

"What's yours?" the Alpha pressed back, her next smile showing Tiffany a glimpse of her canines. 

It was subtle, but Tiffany sensed a definite shift in tension. The Alpha was beginning to assert dominance, not letting Tiffany get too much of the high ground. And deciding it was best not to push her luck, Tiffany conceded to the Alpha's wishes.

"Tiffany." she answered, feeling strangely helpless now that she had given away her name.

The Alpha smiled and reached under the water for her hand, bringing it up above the surface and holding it like she were about to kiss it, which she didn't.

"Enchanted. I'm Taeyeon."

Tiffany pulled her hand away from Taeyeon's and she let it go, realising that she might have been going in too strongly. After all, this Omega seemed to be no pushover, and Taeyeon liked that in her. For it wasn't often that you met an Omega who was so able to stand up for themselves, when in close contact with an Alpha such as herself.

Turning away from Tiffany, Taeyeon ducked back down under the water and swam to the shore, climbing back up to the top of the rocky outcrop. Once up there, she glanced down at Tiffany and gave her a wink. Tiffany scoffed and shook her head, leaning back to watch. Typical Alpha, always needing to show off. Taeyeon bounced up and down on the balls of her feet for a moment or two, before jumping off the rock and somersaulting backwards into the pool below, grinning at Tiffany as she resurfaced, who clapped obligingly. And over the next few minutes the two of them continued to mess about, swimming around, diving down and splashing each other, becoming increasingly more companionable as time went on.

Eventually however they fell into a lull of calm, facing off from each other in the water, considering each other carefully. Night had now fallen completely, with the moon at it's full capacity, a glowing white sphere in the dark sky.

"The change will be coming soon." Taeyeon commented, kicking up water with her feet as she lent backwards, floating. "You fancy going on a little run together?"

Tiffany kicked out for shore, not answering Taeyeon until she was sitting on the bank.

"Go on then."

Taeyeon smiled, showing her teeth, and kicked towards the bank as well, flexing her strong shoulders as she pulled herself out and up. Tiffany watched her as she shook her head from side to side, spraying water droplets out from her hair, and then balled up her shirt to wring out some of the water, showing Tiffany a glimpse of her toned stomach. She then noticed Tiffany staring at her and smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"Getting a good look are we?"

Tiffany scoffed.

"Stop showing off."

"Who said I was?"

"I am, right now."

Taeyeon smiled, shaking her head and looked away from Tiffany, dropping her shirt and covering up her bare stomach once again. Taeyeon then turned her gaze up to the moon and Tiffany followed suit, allowing her inner wolf to start gaining control over her body. The change overtook Taeyeon first, but it took a little longer to ripple over Tiffany, who evidently wasn't feeling as confident as Taeyeon was in the power of the moon. Although, looking at Taeyeon post-change, she still seemed relatively the same, just somehow even more Alpha-like than she had been before.

Taeyeon let out a howl and Tiffany gladly joined in, the power behind Taeyeon's primal Alpha noise spurring on her own. She didn't often join the howl of her own pack, feeling too insecure to do so, but here, alone with Taeyeon, she was feeling like the queen of the world. Taeyeon turned to her and flashed her canines in a wild smile and then dug her paws into the earth, before pushing off into a run. And Tiffany, loving this game of push and pull they were playing, began the chase immediately.

And although she knew that Taeyeon must purposefully be slowing herself in order to allow her to keep up, she did so in such a way that Tiffany never felt as if Taeyeon was pandering her, or trying to make her feel weak. And for the first time in Tiffany's life, she felt on an even keel with an Alpha, not the same but not inferior either. And it was this run with Taeyeon that Tiffany was discovering what the true point of the run was. It wasn't about ritual, or dominance of the Alphas, or assertion of the pack across it's land, but rather the joy of running, the joy being free, the joy of being a wolf-blood.

The two of them ran all along the riverbank and the surrounding area, in a constant game of keep up, swapping places every few seconds as they tumbled and play-fought. Sometimes they would drift so far to the left of the river that they would unknowingly cross back into Jeolla territory, but would always eventually turn back towards the river, and back into Gwangju. But in the joy of the run, neither of them were paying attention to territory. For in the moment, land was just land, and there was no belonging, no ownership. Just two open souls, revelling the freedom of the run. 

Neither was aware of exactly how long they spent running, for time just seemed to phase out of existence for the run, leaving them in their own little bubble. But as the moon began to sink in the sky and the change to wear off, they seemed to gravitate back towards the river, and to the pool where they had first set eyes on each other.

Both them were breathing hard, exhilarated by the thrill of the run, and Tiffany hardly noticed at first how close Taeyeon had gotten to her. But then Taeyeon's hand had enclosed gently around her own and with a slight tug, they ended up almost nose to nose. Tiffany swallowed hard as Taeyeon's scent surrounded her, intensified by the sweat she had accumulated from the run, and the scent was oddly comforting, familiar, almost as if Taeyeon had been made just for her. Taeyeon's hand moved to cup the back of her neck as she bumped noses with Tiffany, almost as if she were going in to kiss her, although once again, she didn't.

Taeyeon's hand moved to her shoulder, and as she ran her fingers gently under the material of Tiffany's shirt, she began nosing at her neck, causing Tiffany's next breath to hitch slightly in her throat, then to be released shakily. But before Taeyeon's hand could move any further down, she came into contact with the scar from the bite mark on Tiffany's shoulder and she stopped, finally allowing herself to take in the full scent of Tiffany now that the water wasn't covering it up.

Taeyeon's reaction was immediate, jerking away from Tiffany as if having just been burnt. She gave Tiffany a look of wide-eyed horror, her mouth moving slightly, suggesting she wanted to say something but just couldn't find the words. But before Tiffany could ask her what was wrong, Taeyeon turned and bolted, running away from her as fast as she could.

"Wait- Taeyeon, wait!"

Tiffany began running after her, trying to keep her in sight, but she already knew that it was hopeless. Taeyeon was an Alpha, and it was just simple fact that she would never be able to catch up with her, much less be able to track her scent. So instead she stopped, crouching in the dirt, and let out a small mournful howl, hoping it would make Taeyeon turn back. Although being the Omega that she was, she couldn't quite summon up a howl anywhere powerful enough, and eventually the howl trailed off into a whimper, as she resigned herself to the fact that Taeyeon had gone and wasn't going to come back.

She stayed crouched in the dirt for a long time, her eyebrows turned down into a frown, wondering what it was, what she had done, that had caused Taeyeon to run. Her hand absentmindedly went to her shoulder, upon which she could still feel the ghost of Taeyeon's hand, pressing firmly against her skin.

And then, slowly but surely, the pieces began to fit together.

There suddenly was the answer, the reason Taeyeon had seemed so familiar. The reason she'd felt as if she'd inhaled her scent before. The reason as to why, when she had run her fingers over her scar and had inhaled her own scent, she had looked so horrified. Taeyeon wasn't just any Alpha. She was a Jeolla Alpha. And the whole reason she had come here, why the two of them had felt so bonded, why their very hearts seemed connected, was because Taeyeon had already bitten her, and unknowingly therefore, claimed her as her own.

Tiffany turned away from where she had last seen Taeyeon and moved back over to the bank of the river, exhaling a melancholy sigh through her nose. She sat on the bank for a long time, hugging her knees to her chest, not sure what to do with herself now that Taeyeon had left so abruptly. But eventually, out of the corner of her eye, something attracted her attention, and she reached a hand down to see what it was. And as it turned out, it was Taeyeon's boots, the socks stuffed inside. She had left them behind, in her hurry to get away from the Gwangju Omega, a member of a pack that she categorically could have nothing to do with.

Resisting the urge to cry, Tiffany tucked the boots under her arm and straightened up, setting off back towards her own village, her heart already beginning to ache with the absence of Taeyeon by her side.


	5. What Would An Alpha Do?

Taeyeon was running, not towards anywhere in particular but just away, away from the girl she knew she had fallen for but absolutely couldn't have. And all the time as she was running, her breathing becoming increasingly more ragged and haphazard, she just muttered the same word to herself over and over and over.

"No, no, no..."

She couldn't think of anything else to say, her mind too caught up in the horror of her discovery of who Tiffany really was, and of the knowledge that she had brought this terrible misfortune down upon herself, all through her own lack of self-control.

She ran blindly for she didn't know how long, almost as if she was trying to outrun her own thoughts, escape the trap she had built for herself and had now fallen into. Her lungs were burning, her muscles aching with every step as tears stained her face, escaping from her eyes faster than she could wipe them away.

And once again, Taeyeon couldn't help the wave of self-hatred that rose up within her like bile in her throat, at how weak and pathetic she must look. For she had promised her father that she would be a good Alpha Female for the pack, the best she could be, and yet so far, she had been nothing but a huge disappointment, barely worthy of the title of Alpha, let alone pack leader.

Eventually she reached a point when she couldn't run anymore, and so she collapsed onto her hands and knees in the dirt, breathing hard and trying not to choke. And bit by bit, she eventually curled up into a ball, her hands clasped around the back of her neck as she cried into her knees, which she'd brought up to tuck close under her chin.

"Oh appa..." she mumbled, as she dug her fingernails hard into the back of her neck. "I wish you were here. You'd- you'd know what to do. You always did, you and omma..."

Taeyeon winced suddenly as, due to the strain she had been exerting on them, one of her claws popped out, cutting into the soft skin at the back of her neck. She pulled her hands away quickly and wiped the blood off on her shirt, starting to regain some sense within her, now that she had finally stopped crying.

"Fuck... what am I doing, what am I _doing_..." she muttered to herself, straightening up and beginning to pace back and forth, flexing her knuckles reflexively.

"Okay, okay, calm down Taeyeon. Calm down, calm down, calm down..."

Taeyeon continued to pace, having still not realised that she was barefooted, despite the mud she was grinding into her sole with every stressed induced step. She began chewing her lip absentmindedly as she paced, trying to calm herself down enough to be able to think reasonably about what she was going to do.

"Who... who would know what to do..."

Taeyeon begun running through everyone in her mind that she knew she could trust with the information that her mate was a Gwangju, and she found that there was only really one person she could ever trust with something so personal.

"Yuri."

Taeyeon twisted her head from left to right, inhaling the scent of the air until she was relatively certain which direction was the right one for home, before she took in a steadying breath, shook out her arms and legs and began once again to run.

***

Yoona frowned and pressed her forehead against the door leading down to Tiffany's nest, overly worried about her fellow Omega. For despite her heat now being over, for a reason unbeknown to anyone in the pack, she had retreated back into her nest once more, and was refusing to see or speak to anyone.

Yoona thought about knocking, about calling down to her, but somehow, every time, her hand went limp against the door and the words died in her throat. Somehow, it just didn't seem right to interrupt her.

"Yah, Yoona-ya."

Yoona jumped slightly and turned to see Nichkhun bowing under the door frame of Tiffany's hut, his hand bracing against the top edge of the frame, before he approached her, his own brow furrowed with deep lines of concern.

"What of her? What's wrong?"

Yoona swallowed hard, frantically trying to think up an excuse that would cause Nichkhun to leave Tiffany alone, knowing that Tiffany wouldn't want to see him.

"Um... I don't know Nichkhun-ssi. She won't talk. Perhaps she is ill?"

"Well if she's ill, I should like to see her. Her heat is over you say?"

Yoona nodded nervously.

"Then such behaviour should be a serious concern. I don't want any of my pack to be ill. Although it's good that she has isolated herself. It would not do to see an illness spread throughout the pack, especially in these trying times."

"What would you like me to do Nichkhun-ssi?"

"Ask her if I am to be permitted to see her. If she is ill, she will most likely respond better to your request than my own."

Yoona nodded and opened the door to the basement, disappearing from Nichkhun's view as he lent up against the wall, arms crossed, to wait. Down in the basement, Tiffany was curled up in her nest, barely visible under the blankets she had drawn over herself. Yoona chewed her lip, anxious about approaching her in this state, but realised that she had no choice, not with Nichkhun waiting at the top of the stairs.

"Tippani?"

Tiffany shifted slightly in response to her name, but didn't reply, just wrapped her arm closer around the object pressed up against her face. Yoona frowned and moved closer, trying to see what it was. And as it turned out, she was cradling a pair of boots. Yoona raised her eyebrows, wondering what possible significance they could have, and indeed also, where she could possibly have gotten them. For they had been nowhere in sight during her heat.

"Um, Tippani. Nichkhun wants me to ask you if... if it's okay that he comes to see you. He's... quite worried, about you."

At this Tiffany finally raised her head, a fearful look in her eyes.

"How worried?"

Yoona bit her lip, not sure how to answer, for she was smart enough to realise the real question Tiffany was asking with this statement. Was he in such a mood that refusal wasn't an option?

"He's worried enough." she eventually settled upon.

Tiffany frowned and looked away from Yoona, her leg bouncing nervously as she twisted her fingers round each other, clearly anxious about the eventuality of having to interact with and speak to Nichkhun.

"Will you do me a favour?" she eventually asked.

Yoona looked surprised but nodded.

"Yeah, sure. What is it?"

"I'll explain later."

Yoona gave Tiffany a confused look, wondering how she could possibly help her without knowing what she needed help with, when Tiffany moved forward very suddenly and buried her face in her neck, hugging her tightly, diluting her own scent with Yoona's. For she had been sleeping with Taeyeon's boots tucked under her chin for the best part of two days, and she knew that allowing Nichkhun to catch the tiniest hint of Jeolla Alpha scent on her would be sheer suicide.

"Okay, you can tell him he can come in now." she said, letting go of Yoona and hurrying to hide the boots under some blankets in the corner of the basement.

Overly confused by Tiffany's behaviour but only too willing to help her out in any way she could, Yoona nodded and climbed the stairs of the basement back up to Nichkhun, who raised his eyebrows expectantly when he saw Yoona.

"So?"

"She says you can see her."

Nichkhun smiled, and to Yoona it didn't seem disingenuous, although you sometimes couldn't tell with Alphas like Nichkhun. Sending a curt nod in her direction, Nichkhun moved past her and disappeared down into the basement. And Yoona could only watch the door and worry, hoping that Tiffany was going to be okay and wondering what could've possibly happened to make her behave this way in the first place.

Back down in the basement, Tiffany had curled back up in her nest, facing away from Nichkhun. He seemed to be behaving overly cautious with her himself, and approached her slowly, his eyes full of seemingly genuine concern.

"Tiffany? Are you okay?"

Tiffany looked up and turned to face Nichkhun.

"Ah... Nichkhun-ssi. It's nice of you to come see me. I thought you'd be too busy."

Nichkhun smiled.

"I'm never too busy for you Tiffany."

He reached for her hand and began rubbing his thumb gently across her knuckles, forcing Tiffany to have to restrain herself from pulling away from him.

"Now tell me, what's the matter? Are you sick?" he inquired.

"Not sick Nichkhun-ssi, I'm just, I'm feeling a little depressed."

Nichkhun raised an eyebrow.

"Depressed? Well, tell me why this is and I shall sort it for you."

"There's nothing particularly the matter Nichkhun. The heat it just... it took it all out of me. And all that time alone, it started me thinking too much. So I think I just need some time. Sort through it all in my mind."

Nichkhun gave her a strange sort of look and for a moment, Tiffany was afraid of what he might do to her. But then he smiled kindly at her and dropped her hand.

"Of course. Take all the time you need. Just know that I'm always here if you need anything."

Tiffany nodded.

"Thank you Nichkhun-ssi."

Nichkhun inclined his head with another smile and straightened back up, climbing the stairs and leaving Tiffany alone once more in the basement. Tiffany frowned, confused by Nichkhun's strangely calm demeanour and willingness to leave her alone. Had something happened to cause him to be this way? And... could it possibly be anything to do with Taeyeon?

Perhaps a minute or so later, Yoona reappeared at the top of the steps, hurrying down them to make sure that Tiffany was no worse for wear from her encounter with Nichkhun.

"Yoona. Is it just me, or is Nichkhun being... unusually nice today?"

Yoona considered this and nodded, her forehead creased slightly with confusion.

"He's certainly been less aggressive as of late. You think something happened?"

"I don't know." Tiffany replied, chewing her lip nervously. "But I don't really like it. It just makes me think that he must be plotting something else, now that they've killed the Jeolla Alpha male."

"I wonder which of their Alphas they got to take over. I mostly stayed out of sight during the battle, but the Alphas that I did see were mighty impressive. But, I suppose it doesn't matter to Nichkhun. So long as there's Alphas left in the Jeolla pack, he won't stop hunting them."

Tiffany nodded in answer to this, but was visibly still troubled, looking away from Yoona and biting down hard on her lip.

"Is everything okay Tippani? Only, you've been acting so strangely over the past few days."

Tiffany sighed, resting her chin on her hand.

"I suppose I owe you an explanation. But you must promise not to tell Nichkhun."

Yoona looked alarmed by this statement, and perhaps even a little put out.

"Oh Tippani, you know I would never tell Nichkhun, or anybody else for that matter, anything you didn't want me to."

Tiffany nodded and forced herself to look back up at Yoona as she began to talk.

"Well, you see... that night, when I said I was going down to the river after my heat was over, I actually went to the one in the far north, the one with the water pools we used to visit as pups. And I'd only been there a short while when... this person appeared, up on the rocks. An Alpha."

Yoona's eyes widened.

"An Alpha? They didn't... they didn't hurt you, did they?"

Tiffany shook her head.

"No, no, it was nothing like that. Oh Yoona, they were wonderful, _she_ was wonderful. Even though I'd never seen her before that moment, I felt as if I knew her already, better than I'd ever known anyone. It was like we had been drawn to each other, destined for each other. Like we were _mates_. It just felt so _right_."

"So?" Yoona questioned, her eyes searching Tiffany's face. "What happened?"

Tiffany bit her lip, a look of great pain crossing her face.

"Well it... it turned out that she..."

Tiffany turned away from Yoona, her eyes welling up with tears as she hesitated.

"When we got close, close enough so that she could take in my scent, she pushed me away and she ran. And at first, I didn't know why. But then I realised, it was because of what I was, what I smelled like. Because I'm a Gwangju."

Yoona raised her eyebrow, confused.

"So? What's that got to do with anything?"

Tiffany's eyes were filled with tears now, as she glanced back up at Yoona.

"Don't you get it Yoona? I'm a Gwangju and she- she was a- a _Jeolla_."

"Oh..."

Tiffany buried her face in her hands, not able to look Yoona in the eyes. She had been stressing over the problem of Taeyeon for the past two days now, and was no closer to finding a solution. As it was hard to be rational when her heart now seemed to be beating purely for Taeyeon alone, an intense warmth seared into her very soul, connecting the two of them through any and all of space and time. Yoona, sympathising with Tiffany's situation, rested a hand gently on her shoulder and allowed Tiffany to lean into her, sniffling quietly against her shoulder as she tried to stifle her tears. And for a long time they stayed in the position, Yoona rubbing her hand comfortingly up and down Tiffany's back.

"And so, you see-" she eventually stuttered out. "I needed to make sure he wouldn't smell the Alpha on me, that he wouldn't find out. That's why I hugged you."

"So... what are you gonna do?" Yoona asked, hesitantly.

"Well..." Tiffany started, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm willing to take the risk. So I guess... I guess it's just up to her. Although Alphas are pretty stubborn, so... I don't know what she's going to do."

Yoona gave Tiffany a small smile and reached for her hand, clasping it within both her own.

"Hey now. If there's one thing I know about Jeolla Alphas, it's that they're a damn sight more considerate than Gwangju ones. She'll come back, I'm sure of it. And besides, she's your _mate_ Tiffany. She couldn't force herself to stay away from you."

"You really think so?"

Yoona nodded.

"I know so."

***

It was early morning by the time Taeyeon reached the village, her lungs worn ragged and with every muscle crying out for rest. The journey back had seemed agonisingly long, nothing like the journey there, despite it being the same distance. The village was quiet, with everyone asleep, lying in after a long night on the run, but Taeyeon wasted no time in heading towards Yuri's hut, desperate to offload her troubles onto the only person she could trust to listen.

When she opened the door to Yuri's hut, she was surprised to see that Yuri was already awake and was buttoning up her shirt on the other side of her bed. She had jumped slightly when she noticed Taeyeon, almost bent double from the exertion expended from her run back, and hastily hurried over to her to support her.

"Yah, Taeyeon-ah. What are you doing back here so early?"

Taeyeon's hand grasped at Yuri's arm, clinging to her for support.

"Yuri please I... please help me. I don't know what to do."

"What Taeyeon? What's wrong?"

"It- it's about last night."

"You mean... something to do with your mate?"

Taeyeon nodded.

"Well, what happened? Did you not find them?"

"No Yuri, I did, and that's the problem."

Taeyeon was still breathing hard after her long, hard run back down into the village, although in actual fact she was breathing rather too hard, as she was now on the border of hyper-ventilation. Frowning, Yuri took a firm hold of Taeyeon's shoulders and forced the shorter girl to face her and look her in the eye.

"Hey, listen to me Taeyeon. I need you to calm down, take a deep breath, and tell me what happened. Can you do that for me?"

Taeyeon nodded, pulling away from Yuri and bending down, hands on her knees, wrestling with herself to get her breathing under control. And as she did so, that same red hot prickle of shame ran up the back of her neck, that feeling of complete inadequacy, that she was so often appearing weak in front of members of her pack, even if it was just Yuri.

"You good?" Yuri asked her, not scornfully in the least, which Taeyeon was grateful for.

"Yep. It's just- the running y'know..."

"So?" Yuri asked, her expression quizzical. "What happened?"

"Well." Taeyeon started, sitting back as she began retelling the events of that night. "The ritual worked perfectly. The moment I saw her I knew she was the one. I could just feel it, this deep warmth within my chest."

"A girl was it?" Yuri asked, smirking.

A flicker of a smile crossed Taeyeon's face and she swiped a hand at her best friend.

"Yes, it was a _girl_. What of it?"

"Nothing, nothing. Do carry on."

"Well, I met her down by the river, y'know, the one in the far south, with all the pools."

"Isn't that in Gwangju territory?"

"Well it used to be that it was nobody's territory. Appa told me that it was a sort of middle-ground once upon a time, no-man's land if you like. But then y'know how things get with territory. So yeah... I think it was the Gwangjus that eventually claimed it."

Yuri narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything, letting Taeyeon continue with her story.

"So we messed about for a bit in the river, and oh Yuri, I've never met someone I felt so connected to in all my life. It felt like- like we were _made_ for each other, that our souls together made up the puzzle piece missing from both of our lives. And... I-" Taeyeon's voice wavered slightly with emotion. "I just felt so... so happy, so comfortable, so _secure_. Because I had met her in a place and a time where I didn't need to be the Alpha Female. I could just be me."

"But..." Yuri prompted.

"But..." Taeyeon whispered, her voice cracking slightly. "She..."

Taeyeon turned away from Yuri as fresh tears welled up in her eyes. For she couldn't risk having another breakdown, not now, not in front of Yuri. Because she was the Alpha Female for Christ's sake. So why... _why_ couldn't she keep it together? Yuri watched Taeyeon hunch over, knuckling her eyes with her fists and frowned, concerned for her best friend's well-being. And so, rather cautiously, she tried reaching out a hand to touch her shoulder.

"Taeyeon, are you-"

"She's a Gwangju Yuri! A Gwangju!" Taeyeon shouted, lashing out at Yuri so that she retracted from her, alarmed by the sudden outburst. "I bit her! It's my fault, I- I bit her and it's my fault! It's all my fault!"

Yuri backed off, wide-eyed as she watched Taeyeon begin to spiral, her hands buried deep in her hair, her teeth clenched and her eyes squeezed tight shut, as if she was trying to shut out her own thoughts from getting into her head.

"It can't- I can't- my mate can't be a Gwangju! How can I mate with- with a member of the pack that- that killed my father? How can I mate with a member of the pack that was- that was responsible for- for the death of my mother? How can- how can I possibly- with- with a _Gwangju_ , our sworn enemies, it just- I-"

"Yah, Taeyeon!"

Yuri brought her hand back and slapped Taeyeon hard round the face, finally stopping her spiel of stuttered speech and bringing her back to reality. Yuri took in a steadying breath and placed her hands back on Taeyeon's shoulders.

"Listen to me Taeyeon. You're an Alpha, the Alpha Female of this pack no less, and I need you to start acting more like it if we're going to sort this out. Nobody ever got anywhere by losing their head and panicking."

Taeyeon stared at Yuri, wide-eyed.

"But what do I _do_ Yuri? She's my _mate_ , but... she's a Gwangju, I-"

"Ah, ah. No spiralling, d'you hear me?"

Taeyeon shrugged Yuri's hands off of her shoulders and sat down heavily on the floor of her hut, crossing her legs and resting her arms across her knees, as her expression contorted into one of deep, irrepressible concern and fear. Yuri, at a loose end for how to comfort her best friend, just sat next to Taeyeon, and allowed her to lean over and rest her head against her shoulder.

"Please Yuri... just, help me figure out what to do. I know I'm the Alpha Female and I should be able to do this stuff on my own, but nobody ever prepared me to make a decision like this."

Frowning, Yuri wrapped her arm around Taeyeon's shoulders, supporting her both emotionally and physically.

"Look, I get it Taeng. This is tough. Your own body and soul are making you choose between your mate and your pack, which should be two things that always work in harmony. And as the Alpha Female, in any other situation, I would say that you have to be there for your pack no matter what. But mates well... they're usually a once in a lifetime deal. So I can't tell you what you should do Taeyeon, but I think that maybe... maybe, you shouldn't let this mate go."

"But maybe it's not that simple Yuri. Running a pack, that's the biggest deal there is. There's- there's literally hundreds of generations of wolf-bloods in our ancestry. How could I live with myself if I was the one that brought an end to the Jeolla pack? And all because I was only thinking about myself?"

Yuri sighed, beginning to get frustrated with Taeyeon. Because she was perhaps the most conflicted yes, but also the most stubborn person she had ever met, with rock solid values and principles. Both of which made her incredibly difficult to convince of anything. But, there had to be something she could say that would tell her what choice to make.

"Well, think about it this way then." she eventually said, making sure that Taeyeon was paying attention to her. "What would an Alpha do?"

The corners of Taeyeon's eyebrows turned downward slightly, giving her a confused sort of look, as she clasped her hands together in front of her, thinking. Yuri watched her as she did this, and it was quite a while before Taeyeon straightened up again, her expression having changed into one of silent determination.

"I need to go back to Gwangju."

The corner of Yuri's mouth twitched up into a slight smile.

"I think you're right."

Taeyeon closed her eyes and gave a slight groan.

"Jesus... I just ran all the way back from Gwangju."

Yuri laughed and nudged the back of Taeyeon's shoulder with a closed fist.

"Try not to collapse and cough up your lungs when you get there, hmm? I've heard that Omegas don't find that very impressive."

Taeyeon smiled at Yuri gratefully.

"Thank you Yuri. I... I knew I could rely on you to help me. I can always rely on you. And y'know, sometimes it makes me think. You'd have made a much better Alpha Female than I would."

Yuri shook her head.

"No Taeyeon. Your father was right. You're going to be one of the greatest Alpha Females we've ever had. You've just got to see it in yourself first."

Taeyeon considered this with a strange sort of look on her face, and Yuri quickly interjected once more, fearful that she might begin spiralling into a cycle of self-hatred once more.

"But hey, enough about that. You've got a mate to go and find haven't you?"

Taeyeon nodded and smiled.

"Yeah. Thanks again Yuri."

Yuri watched Taeyeon dash out of her hut once more, and shook her head slightly in disbelief. For no matter what she said to the contrary, Taeyeon was a brilliant Alpha, but she wasn't half the strangest wolf-blood she had ever come across.

***

It was that next evening that Yoona finally convinced Tiffany to come out from her nest, which she did, although admittedly rather reluctantly. Nichkhun gave her a big smile when he saw her, which only intensified her uneasiness, and she made sure to stick close to the pack of Omegas during dinner, in order to best avoid him.

After dinner she went for a walk around the village, taking in the cool night air and scuffing the toes of her shoes against the ground. The only thing she really wanted to do was retreat back to her nest and nuzzle up close to Taeyeon's boots, although the scent from them had already faded far from what it had been to begin with. But then again, she had promised Yoona she wouldn't go back to her nest, and after all, it wouldn't do to just hide herself away forever.

She eventually ended up on the outskirts of the forest, quite by accident, although she suspected that she might have been making an unconscious effort to stay as far away from Nichkhun as possible, which was why she now found herself quite alone.

Letting out a small sigh, she turned her face up to the sky and at the moon, as it made it's slow and steady progress upwards. She had always liked the nighttime, ever since she was a pup, and they had only been slightly spoiled as she grew older, by the increased intensity of the runs and of the heat. But now, nighttime spelled only a long list of endless hours, of waiting for a love to return to her but not even knowing if they would or not.

The sudden snapping of a twig made her jump and turn rapidly towards the source of the noise, the forest to her right. She swallowed hard, squinting into the darkness, trying to make out who, or what, was lurking in amongst the trees. And quite suddenly, the thing that had presumably made the noise stumbled out from behind a nearby tree and into the outskirts of the village, not three metres away from Tiffany. And that something was Taeyeon.

Having gotten over her initial shock, Tiffany hurried over to Taeyeon and grabbed hold of her arm, fixing her with a wide-eyed stare.

"Taeyeon! What the hell are you doing here? If they catch your scent, they'll kill you!"

Taeyeon stared back at Tiffany, equally bewildered at having found her so suddenly, but also seemingly already prepared for what she had come to say to her.

"I know, I know but I- I just- I needed to see you Tiffany."

Tiffany glanced over her shoulder nervously, intensely aware of the possibility that someone, most likely an Alpha, would pick up Taeyeon's scent, and then any chance of there ever being a _them_ would be destroyed in a heartbeat.

"Com'n then, follow me."

Reaching for Taeyeon's hand, she led her further away from the village and deeper into the woods, hoping the trees would be enough to obscure them from view. But as they walked, she could feel the way Taeyeon's hand trembled slightly in hers, a sign that her nerves were also getting the better of her. And once she felt safe enough in amongst the trees, and turned to Taeyeon, still holding onto her hands.

"Okay. Tell me why."

Taeyeon looked beyond nervous, something which, in an Alpha, Tiffany found oddly adorable. For it wasn't often that you found an Alpha so ready and open about displaying their inner emotions and feelings.

"Um, well, first of all I just wanted to say that I'm... I'm sorry. For running away."

Taeyeon bit her lip and made to pull her hands away from Tiffany's, but Tiffany held on tight, not allowing her to do so. She then nodded at Taeyeon to continue, which she did, albeit rather cautiously.

"Um, running away, it- it was rude and inconsiderate and I... I realised that, as an Alpha, I couldn't allow myself to put an Omega through the pain that I was going through, at- um, at our separation. It was very bad of me to put you in that situation. I'm sorry."

Taeyeon's head remained bowed, as she continued to avert her gaze even after having finished talking. So, with a small smile, Tiffany reached a hand out and used her thumb and forefinger to tilt Taeyeon's chin upwards, forcing her to make eye contact. And for long time they just stared into each others eyes, searching for emotion and meaning in their gazes and wondering how best to react, now that they were once again nose to nose.

But then Taeyeon suddenly reached her hands forward, cupping Tiffany's face and winding her fingers gently into her hair before she kissed her. Tiffany, more surprised than anything, kissed Taeyeon back quite readily, before common sense kicked in and she pushed her away with a slight nudge against her shoulder.

"Yah... get off, you'll leave your scent on me."

"Oh shit, sorry..." Taeyeon mumbled, backing off from her, her cheeks flushed slightly with pink as she looked away from Tiffany.

Tiffany smiled at the sight of an Alpha being so awkward and flustered.

"It's okay Taeyeon, I'm just teasing. I'm just glad you came back at all."

Taeyeon gave her a shy smile and reached forward to tangle their fingers together lightly, not wanting to let go just yet, even though she knew that she would have to.

"Now go, I'm not having you getting caught."

Taeyeon raised two fingers to her forehead and saluted.

"Yes ma'am."

Taeyeon wasted no time in making herself scarce, and within seconds, she had disappeared deep into the darkened woods surrounding the Gwangju village. Tiffany lent back against a nearby tree, watching the place where she had last been able to see Taeyeon, a stupid smile on her face. Yoona was right, she had come back. And in doing so, she had promised her the world, which was something Tiffany was all to glad to accept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year btw :)


	6. The Inner Jewel of Daehanmin

Nichkhun watched Tiffany out of the corner of his eye as she glanced over her shoulder furtively, before disappearing into the woods surrounding the village. Letting out a small, disinterested huff, he turned away and continued to examine the amulet in his hand. He had noticed lately that she had been sneaking out alone more often than she ever had before, and usually he would've wanted to know why. But as of now he had greater things on his mind. So he'd let her have her freedom, for now.

The amulet he was holding was remarkably well preserved for how old he suspected it was, although it was worn smooth in places, especially around the notch through which you threaded the twine, to then wear it around your neck. Nichkhun had procured this amulet in particular from around the neck of the dying Jeolla Alpha-Male, weak and defenceless as he had been, a prize for his defeat.

The actual shape of the amulet was that of a round disc, with various raised etchings cut into the metal, and a faded green jewel set into the centre. He frowned, tracing his thumb round the markings. They seemed somehow familiar, yet he couldn't for the life of him work out how.

He had been spending a lot of time reading recently, an activity he wasn't particularly enthused with, in an attempt to find out the origins of the Gwangjus' feud with the Jeollas. For he knew that there must be something, a key moment of betrayal, an injustice left unrectified, that had caused it's beginnings. And he had been so sure that this amulet would be the answer to all those questions.

He ran his thumb once again across the dusky green jewel and as he pressed down he felt it give slightly, indenting further into the amulet. Raising an eyebrow curiously, he watched as a faded glow spread across the amulet, highlighting a particular path around the etchings. And as he examined this new feature closely, it was then that he suddenly realised what the amulet had been designed to show.

The etchings on the amulet were provinces, Jeollabuk, Jeollanam, Gyeongsang and... 

Nichkhun's eyes widened, as he realised where Gwangju was on the amulet. For if the amulet had been a map, it would've been right there, underneath where the jewel was embedded. But then why had the _Jeolla_ Alpha-Male...

Something Nichkhun had read in a book no longer ago than yesterday, suddenly sprang into his mind, and he clasped the amulet tight in his hand as he jumped up and hurried back to his hut. All over his bedroom floor, old books and scrolls were lying in disorganised, discarded heaps, and it took him a while to find the right book and then of course, the right page. But eventually his finger was running down the page and he found the line he had remembered, and muttered it to himself as he traced along the characters.

"The inner jewel of..." Nichkhun took a sharp intake of breathe in through his nose, and exhaled along with the final word. "Daehanmin..."

For a moment Nichkhun froze, his hand clenched around the spine of the book and his breathing heavy, as a wave of silent anger passed through him. For although not everything about the beginning of the Gwangju/Jeolla feud had been cleared completely from this one detail, it had uncovered a lead which Nichkhun fully intended to exploit, and finally bring an end to the Jeolla rule in South-West Korea once and for all.

Dropping the book almost carelessly onto his bedroom floor, he straightened back up and strode out of the hut, his head swivelling round, looking for any sign of his second-in-command, an Alpha by name of Taecyeon, who was the generally accepted successor in the pack for the role of Alpha-Male, should anything ever happen to Nichkhun. And eventually he spotted him over by one of the animal pens, leaning against the fence and talking to another Alpha.

"Yah, Taecyeon!"

Taecyeon looked up sharply, and said something unintelligible to the Alpha next to him, before he hurried over to Nichkhun.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I'm putting you in charge, I need to leave for a few days."

Taecyeon nodded, accepting the charge from his superior Alpha with no argument. For it wasn't uncommon for Nichkhun to head out to places on his own, although Taecyeon knew from experience that something big usually succeeded from these sorts of trips.

"Where're you headed?" he asked, testing the waters slightly.

Nichkhun answered readily enough, so Taecyeon supposed it wasn't anything too secret.

"I'm heading north, there's some things I need to check out, and some favours I need to call in."

"What for?" Taecyeon pressed, slightly daringly.

A slightly clouded look came into Nichkhun's eyes and Taecyeon recognised it as what one might refer to as the 'red mist', a dangerous glaze that crossed the gaze of an individual and blinded them to anything but the fulfilment of their rage. He then watched as Nichkhun's lip curled into a half smile, half snarl.

"Let's call it a... rectification of injustice."

Nichkhun turned to look at Taecyeon and the clouded look left his eyes to be replaced by his ordinary sharpness of sight, and Taecyeon just nodded, hiding his nervousness and wondering what his Alpha-superior could possibly have in store for his pack next.

***

Upon making the decision to follow her heart rather than her head, and therefore her mate above her pack, the change in Taeyeon was both dramatic and immediate. She became visibly more confident, happier and stronger, presenting her as an altogether better leader and Alpha than she had ever managed to do before.

Yuri in particular was very relieved to see such a change in her, for she had been worried about Taeyeon ever since the death of her father. And although she would never dream of telling Taeyeon so, she had upon occasion, caught her sitting alone and talking to herself, and wondering whether or not it was really worth her while to keep on living.

And as a result of this renewed energy for life within Taeyeon, the pack was finally beginning to recover fully from the attack that had taken their Alpha-Male from them so suddenly.

Tiffany's heart too had been lightened immeasurably by Taeyeon's confession and promise to her, and she had not once returned to her nest since, no longer feeling the need to hide herself away from her pack and bury her face in the faded scent of Taeyeon's boots.

Over the next few months, the river on the border between the Jeolla and Gwangju territories became Tiffany and Taeyeon's go-to meeting place, partly because of the significance of it being where they had first met, but mainly because there seemed to be no reason to change it. It was as good a place as any other, and the water would help disguise the scents that they would undoubtedly leave on each other.

It was reasonably difficult to corroborate on any certain times in which to meet, as there was never a time when either of them would always be free. For Taeyeon, there might be something back in her village that needed the attentions of the Alpha-Female, and for Tiffany, there were near endless obstacles for the fact that she was a Gwangju Omega, that might stop her from escaping for a few hours to meet with her secretive mate.

But they had planned for tonight to be one of those in which they tried to meet up, and Taeyeon would be damned if she didn't show up.

She reached the river by early evening and was unsurprised to find it empty. So she began walking up and down the riverbank, looking for a good place to sit down and wait for Tiffany to appear. And eventually she chose a small clump of rocks that allowed her both to see across the river and be partially hidden from view, allowing for her to make a hasty exit should a Gwangju, or perhaps even a human, make their appearance at the riverside.

She was waiting a long time, long enough for the sun to sink below the horizon and the moon and stars to rise in it's place, illuminating the water in front of her in dull, shimmery glow. But Taeyeon didn't mind. For she would've waited until the next morning, just for the possibility of seeing her mate again.

However, it still took until the point when she was sure that Tiffany wasn't going to come, when she finally heard a disturbance on the other side of the riverbank, and looked up through a gap in the rocks to see her Omega, who was a little out of breath but no less gorgeous than Taeyeon had remembered her being. And she couldn't help the little skip that her heart did every time she thought about the fact that Tiffany was _her_ mate, that this wondrous woman belonged to her, and she in turn, to Tiffany.

Raising herself up from her sitting place behind the rocks, her whole body jumpy with excitement at finally seeing her mate, she alerted Tiffany to her presence by swimming out into the water and over to the other side of the bank, pulling herself partially out of the water and then grinning at her.

"Hey."

Tiffany smiled back at her and knelt down to kiss Taeyeon on the cheek, before taking her hand to help her up out of the water.

"Why hello there." she said, raising her eyebrow and grinning at Taeyeon.

"I wasn't sure if you were gonna show." Taeyeon said, shaking her head to get rid of the water that had soaked into her hair.

"I almost didn't. Nichkhun was outside when I tried to sneak off and I almost bottled it, but I don't think he noticed me leave."

Taeyeon frowned, concerned.

"Yah... I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

Tiffany smiled and shook her head, unperturbed by Taeyeon's concerns.

"I signed up for trouble the moment I met you Taeyeon. But y'know how it is. There's two types of trouble in this world, and you're the type I don't mind getting mixed up in."

Taeyeon raised her eyebrows.

"How scandalous."

Tiffany pushed her shoulder.

"Yah, pabo. Stop ruining the moment, I'm trying to be all romantic."

"Oh, it was romance you were going for?"

Tiffany pouted.

"Don't be mean."

Taeyeon smiled and reached for Tiffany's hand, kissing the back of it gently.

"Mianhae... forgive me?"

"Only because you're so sweet."

Taeyeon grinned, showing her canines, and moved closer to Tiffany, nuzzling idly at her neck as she re-familiarised herself with her Omega's scent.

"So tell me. Was it hard to pry yourself away from your Alpha duties?" Tiffany asked, gently nudging Taeyeon away from her neck.

"It was easier than you'd think actually." Taeyeon answered, good-humouredly. "Turns out when you're an Alpha, you can do what you want."

Tiffany pouted again, frowning with mock annoyance.

"No fair..."

Taeyeon smiled, reaching a hand forward to gently tuck a strand of hair behind Tiffany's ear.

"But hey, enough about me. I want to know about you."

"Really?"

"Of course. Talk to me."

Tiffany was quiet for a moment, not sure exactly what she should say, what Taeyeon wanted to know. I mean... where did she even start? And Taeyeon seemed to somehow sense her uneasiness at being asked such a thing, as she decided to prompt her into conversation.

"Well, let's start with this. What's your pack like?"

Tiffany considered this by tipping her head gently to the side, much like a confused puppy might do.

"If I tell you, will you tell me more about yours?"

Taeyeon smiled and nodded.

"Of course."

"Well, I don't know what it's like in yours, but I'd say that what I consider to be a pack bond is very different to you. There's a distinct hierarchy and Alphas are very much in charge, and essentially possess and control all the Betas and Omegas. They don't really like it if we mix either, so we usually stay in groups like that, Omega, Beta, Alpha."

"You don't mix at all?"

Tiffany shrugged.

"We can talk, but it's just assumed that if you try and do anything more than that, you're trying to mate with them, and the Alphas don't like that."

The corners of Taeyeon's eyebrows turned down slightly.

"So who's the Alpha in-charge in your pack?"

"That would be Nichkhun. When the last Alpha-Male died, they had a fight to see who would succeed him, and Nichkhun came out on top, mainly because he's so aggressive." Tiffany caught sight of Taeyeon's expression and hastened to add; "Although he's not so bad with me."

Taeyeon cocked her head to the side.

"Why's that?"

Tiffany began chewing her lip nervously and looked away from Taeyeon.

"Well, I think it's because he has a bit of a thing for me."

Tiffany glanced up and saw the way Taeyeon's jaw tightened involuntarily, a twitch born of her inherent Alpha possessiveness, and she smiled slightly. To reassure her, she climbed into Taeyeon's lap, settling in-between her spread legs, and nuzzled at her neck.

"Now don't you worry about him. I'm yours only."

"Damn right you are." Taeyeon said, her voice edged with an uncharacteristically aggressive growling tone, and so Tiffany began butting under her chin, an attempt to mellow her once more.

"What about you?" Tiffany mumbled into Taeyeon's shoulder, as she felt Taeyeon begin to run a hand gently through her hair, clinging to the strands as if possessively, restating the fact that everything and all of Tiffany belonged to her. "Who's the Alpha in-charge in your pack?"

Taeyeon froze, her hand still in Tiffany's hair, and Tiffany glanced up, alarmed.

"What?"

"Um..."

Taeyeon pulled her hand away from stroking Tiffany's hair and moved it to the back of her own neck, rubbing it awkwardly as she looked away from the girl in her lap.

"What Taeyeon? What's wrong?"

"I um... I don't know. I thought you might know already."

"Know what?"

"Well... the Alpha-Male you Gwangjus killed... he was-" Taeyeon bit her lip. "He was my father."

Tiffany's eyes widened in horror.

"Oh Taeyeon, I- I don't..."

Taeyeon smiled slightly and shook her head.

"It's not your fault. You didn't know, did you?"

Tiffany shook her head.

"No, I swear it. Nichkhun wouldn't tell us anything."

Taeyeon sighed heavily.

"You'll have worked it out then?"

"What?"

"The answer to your question."

Tiffany's expression was blank for a second or two, before it cleared very suddenly with realisation, and she looked back at Taeyeon with eyes full of something not unlike fear, but perhaps more akin to intimidation.

"You're the Alpha-Female."

Taeyeon nodded, retaining her own look of strong silence. Tiffany was unsure how to react to this, and so instead just wrapped her arms around Taeyeon's waist and rested her head on her chest, listening to her steady heartbeat under her ear. For it was already extremely apparent to her that Taeyeon would rather have been anything but the Alpha-Female of her pack.

"It made it... more difficult, to choose you over my pack." Taeyeon eventually said, causing Tiffany's ears to prick up, listening to her. "Being that you're a Gwangju. But, you know what I chose. And I don't regret it. Not for a second."

Tiffany lifted her head from Taeyeon's chest, her eyes full of concern.

"But Taeyeon, still... your father, that's-"

Taeyeon stopped Tiffany's sentence by taking gentle hold of her chin with her thumb and forefinger, and titling her head up slightly so that she was looking directly into her eyes.

"It happens Tiffany, with wolf-bloods all the more often. And I've come to terms with it. I can't let the Gwangjus get into my head like that, because then... whatever this is, with you, would be at risk. And I can't let that happen. I already care about you too much to ever let you go."

Tiffany turned pink at these words.

"You do?" she mumbled.

Taeyeon smiled at her.

"Of course. You're my mate."

Tiffany's heart skipped a beat at the word 'mate', when uttered like that by Taeyeon. For she had heard other people call her mate before, namely Nichkhun, but she had never felt the way she did with Taeyeon when he said it. For when Taeyeon said it, she could practically feel a warmth run up her body, twisting in her stomach and making her heart race with excitement and devotion. Because she _wanted_ to be Taeyeon's mate, oh did she want to. More than anything else in the whole world.

Twisting round in Taeyeon's lap, she turned to face her, straddling her as Taeyeon raised her eyebrows, leaning back slightly on her hands. Smiling, she leaned forward and kissed Taeyeon firmly, and Taeyeon gladly obliged, reaching her hands upwards to thread her fingers into the soft base of her hair as she kissed her back. Tiffany smiled slightly against Taeyeon's mouth, for despite having not known her very long at all, she was already starting to notice that Taeyeon seemed to have a liking for running her hands through her hair, particularly at the base. And the fact that she was already getting to know some of Taeyeon's little habits and mannerisms, filled her with a happiness seemingly unmerited.

Taeyeon herself however, was still exploring the boundaries of what having a mate actually entailed. For that sudden kiss in the woods surrounding the Gwangju village, had in actual fact, been Taeyeon's first kiss ever, having been brought on by a burst of confidence she was sure she would never see again. As a result therefore, kissing Tiffany now was still an experiment, a way of being sure she could be a good mate for her, even when instinct wasn't at play.

They were now closer than they had ever gotten to each other before, Taeyeon having moved to practically be on her back against the ground, with Tiffany pressed up close to her front, her hands supporting her against the ground on either side of Taeyeon's body. Tiffany had never done anything like this before, not even close in fact, but she found that with Taeyeon, it didn't seem to matter. Every movement they made together seemed to be done as one, with a synced fluidity unprecedented for two wolf-bloods only so recently drawn together.

And for a minute or two, they became immersed in a world that was just the two of them, sometimes pausing between kisses and caresses just to stare into each other's eyes, searching in amongst their counterparts' gaze for the deepest secrets and desires within them. Or perhaps instead, just to change pace slightly, grazing teeth lightly along sensitive skin, playing around with initial sensations before fully committing to anything further.

But this immersive state of mind was no sooner to be broken, than when Taeyeon nipped the corner of Tiffany's lip, quite involuntarily, and Tiffany let out a small yelp as she felt the imprint of Taeyeon's hands suddenly sharpen simultaneously into the beginnings of her claws, cutting into the material of her shirt. It had been a yelp primarily of surprise, rather than of pain, but Taeyeon still pulled away from her as quickly as if she had actually intended to hurt her, her claws retracting as she stared down at her hands in horror.

"I- I'm sorry- I..."

Tiffany saw the panic in Taeyeon's eyes and recognised the flight response in her stance and body language, and knew that she was just seconds away from bolting again. So she quickly reached forward and grabbed hold of Taeyeon's wrist, just as she tried to pull away.

"No Taeyeon, wait. Look at me. Taeyeon-ah..."

Taeyeon relented to the soft tug on her hand and looked back at Tiffany with guilty eyes.

"Tell me... have you ever done anything like this before?"

Taeyeon hesitated for a second before shaking her head.

"No." she mumbled.

Tiffany smiled at her and reached forward with her other hand to cup Taeyeon's cheek.

"Hey now. There's no need to be embarrassed. I've never done anything like this either. So it doesn't matter if we panic, or mess up, or feel like we don't know what we're doing. Because we can figure it out together, okay?"

Taeyeon closed her eyes, leaning into Tiffany's touch sadly, but nodded in answer.

"I'm sorry."

Tiffany shook her head and rubbed her thumb gently across Taeyeon's temple.

"There's nothing for you to be sorry for."

Taeyeon let out a small, self-pitying sort of laugh.

"What sort of Alpha am I huh?"

Tiffany's eyes widened slightly with worry, and she nudged the base of her palm slightly against the side of Taeyeon's head, so that she could properly hold Taeyeon's face in her hands when she looked up.

"You're _my_ Alpha. Is that enough?"

Taeyeon gave her a small smile and nodded.

"Yeah. That'll do for me."

Tiffany smiled back and kissed Taeyeon, dropping her hands from her face only for Taeyeon to reach for them, taking them up within her own.

"Look at you, already sorting me out." Taeyeon commented.

"Well what sort of Omega would I be if I didn't keep my Alpha in line, hmm?"

"What d'you want to do now?" Taeyeon asked her, nudging her nose against her chin.

"Well..." Tiffany mused, letting Taeyeon nose at her scent gland, a supposed attempt at comfort for herself. "We _could_ talk some more. But it seems like what you really need right now is to go on a run."

Taeyeon glanced up at her.

"A run?"

"Yeah. It's what you Alphas like to do isn't it?"

"But... I don't want to run without you. What if you can't keep up?"

Tiffany smiled and tapped Taeyeon's nose lightly.

"Trust me. If it's _you_ I'm chasing after, I'll keep up."

Taeyeon grinned and made to begin the chase immediately, but was stopped by Tiffany's gentle hold on her wrist. And when she looked back at her, eyes wide, Tiffany herself just smiled.

"Hang on, eager beaver. I need to tell you something first."

Taeyeon nodded and turned back to face her Omega.

"Now I want you to remember this, okay? The next time you get that feeling like you want to run away, I want you to just calm down and tell me what's worrying you. Because as much as it seems like the best idea is to run away, avoiding the problem won't make it go away."

The corner of Taeyeon's mouth lifted up into a slight smirk.

"Look at you. So smart, so mature."

Tiffany raised an eyebrow challengingly. 

"Someone's got to be."

Taeyeon grinned and reached forward to tap Tiffany lightly on the shoulder.

"You're it."

Tiffany's mouth opened in surprise as Taeyeon took off running, and she shook her head slightly before jumping up also and beginning the chase.

***

"Yah, Yuri-ah."

Yuri turned her head to see Jessica, a Beta of the pack, running up to her, looking harried and impatient. Jessica had been a girl Yuri had always been interested in, ever since she was a kid, but one who she regrettably also knew little about, due to their inherent differences. For Betas in particular, despite the efforts of their Alpha and Omega counterparts to relate to them, just seemed somehow to always be on a different wavelength.

"Yeah?" Yuri asked her, eyeing the rather out of breath Beta warily.

"Have you seen Taeyeon anywhere? Only there's something I think she needs to know."

Yuri made sure not to reveal it in her expression, but inside she immediately began to panic. For she knew very well that Taeyeon had left earlier that day to go and meet up with her Gwangju mate, and her brain began working overtime, trying to think up a convincing lie.

"Um, I'm not sure actually. I saw her heading off down towards the Gwangju border. Maybe she's scouting out our defences."

Jessica gave a frustrated huff at this.

"But hey." Yuri quickly added, trying to steer Jessica's attention away from Taeyeon. "Tell me what's up, maybe I can help."

Jessica shook her head but decided to confide in Yuri anyway.

"Well I was sorting through all the letters we got over the past week, and like usual, a lot of them were addressed to Taeyeon. But it was the handwriting on one that got me curious, as I could've sworn I recognised it from somewhere. And when I looked at the stamp, it all made sense. It was US mail. And who could be sending mail from America?"

Yuri frowned for a second before her brow cleared in realisation.

"Hayeon."

Jessica nodded.

"I didn't want to open and read it, it's for Taeyeon after all, but I think it probably means that she's coming home. And I thought Taeyeon should know as soon as possible if that's the case."

Yuri nodded, although her expression was serious.

"Has Taeyeon told her about her father?" Jessica asked Yuri.

"I don't think so. Or at least, not as far as I know. Although if you remember, Taeyeon never wanted her to go in the first place, especially after what happened with Jiwoong. So I wouldn't be surprised if she's been off-putting ever writing to her."

"What should we do then?"

"Give her the letter." Yuri answered, without hesitation. "I know Taeyeon can seem a little... unpredictable at times. But it's best to just give her any news straight up, and let her deal with it in her way. Keeping stuff from her... it- it doesn't work out. Never has really."

Jessica smiled slightly at this.

"You learn that from personal experience?"

Yuri gave Jessica a side glance, and the corner of her mouth turned up into a coy smile.

"Possibly."

Jessica smirked, enjoying being able to tease an Alpha, for it wasn't something she ever really got the opportunity to do, especially now that they were no longer kids.

"When is she coming back then, d'you think?" Jessica asked.

"Oh you know how she is when she goes off on her own. That girl would forget her head if it wasn't screwed on. But she'll find her way home eventually." Yuri said, smiling as if reminiscently. "She always does."


	7. A Sister's Return

Taeyeon sat on the hillside overlooking the village, her knees brought up to her chin as she continued to gnaw at a slight hangnail, that had formed on her thumb from her persistent nervous chewing.

Upon returning from her rendezvous with Tiffany, Taeyeon had been in unusually high spirits, considerably more so than she ever had been since her father's death or even before. For meeting her mate had transformed her life in a way Taeyeon would never have suspected that it could. But upon her return had come the reception of Hayeon's letter, and the news that she was finally returning from America. And in an instant, Taeyeon's new-found confidence had been dashed, to be replaced once more by her previously ever-present anxiety.

During the time that Hayeon had been gone, Taeyeon had very early on, resorted to pushing all thoughts about her sister to the back of her mind, as a sort of avoidance tactic, too afraid to face the negative emotions that came whenever she allowed herself to think about her. For she still remembered just how much Jiwoong's absence had stung her emotionally, and the very idea that she might have to go through it all again sent her, more often than not, into a state of panic.

She had thought briefly about her sister during her father's funeral, wishing perhaps that she could've been there to see him off, but had also hastily resigned such thoughts down into her quieter moments in those early days of being pack leader. For Hayeon had just been another thing to cry about, to curl up under the blankets and repeat over and over in her mind until she was sick of her own internal voice, and the fact that she could never shut it up.

And now of course, having received the knowledge that she was going to be seeing her again, and very soon at that, Taeyeon had by default began to panic. For she was going to have to come face to face with something she had been repressing for the best part of almost two years, and she wasn't sure at all how she was going to react.

And so she had been sitting on this hillside for... well, she wasn't even sure how long, just thinking and worrying and agonising over everything that had previously and could possibly then on, go wrong.

"Hey buddy. You okay?"

Taeyeon didn't look at Yuri as the taller Alpha approached her, but nodded, although she was still chewing on her thumb nervously. Knowing well enough that this meant that she definitely wasn't okay, Yuri sat herself next to Taeyeon, leaning her elbow causally on her knee as she watched her.

"Hey now, listen. It's just your sister Taeng. You've known her forever. And I know they say time changes a person, but she's still gonna be the same old Hayeon."

Taeyeon nodded, although it seemed mechanical, automatic even.

"It'll be fine, you just wait and see."

Taeyeon didn't say anything more, and for a minute or two they sat tensely side by side, neither one having anything they wanted to, or perhaps felt that they could, say to the other. But then Taeyeon moved her hand behind her and used it to push herself up, dusting down her trousers.

"I think..." she started, and Yuri waited patiently for her answer. "I think I need to go on a run. Just to clear my head."

Yuri nodded, readily accepting this as a much preferable alternative to the freak-outs she knew could ensue if things got too out of hand.

"Sure. You want to go alone?"

Taeyeon nodded and Yuri smiled sympathetically, also jumping to her feet and punching Taeyeon's shoulder lightly.

"Just be back in time for dinner okay?"

Taeyeon nodded and managed a half-smile back at Yuri, before she turned on her heel and began making her way down the opposite side of the hill, away from the village. Yuri watched her until she was out of sight, an uneasy feeling in her chest, but one which she eventually dismissed. Taeyeon was stronger than she appeared and was no fool. She'd be fine, whatever she did.

Tearing her gaze away from the visible bottom edge of the hillside, she left Taeyeon to her own devices and began to worry about her own life instead, perhaps most importantly of which involved a certain girl she had been growing quite the attraction to. And within minutes, her uneasiness about Taeyeon had disappeared, not to be brought up again until the moment of Hayeon's return to the village.

***

Tiffany was sitting with the other Omegas after dinner, talking through various things as they were the habit of doing, and most of them rather meaningless as a result, when she felt a sharp tug in her chest, and a pulsating feeling of anxiety began to spread through her. And she knew that such a thing could only be the result of Taeyeon.

Now hyper aware that Taeyeon, in some way or another, needed her help, she began fidgeting anxiously, searching for an opportunity where she could get up and slip away, without the risk of being questioned for her disappearance. And luckily enough, just such a distraction came almost amazingly quickly, in the shape of two drunk Alphas crashing into the side of hut not ten metres away from them, engaged in a sloppy fist-fight.

As the pack began to stir, all heads turning towards the fight as another Alpha, Taecyeon Tiffany thought it was, hurried over to try and break them apart, Tiffany stood up and began edging away from the Omega pack, eventually turning to hurry towards the woods on the outskirts of the pack. But she had barely made it a few steps out of sight when a hand clamped around her wrist and she took in a sharp breath, terrified of who it might be.

"Yah, where are you going? You know it's dangerous for any Omega to go out alone at night."

Tiffany turned and sighed with relief as realised it was Yoona who had grabbed hold of her wrist. For she had no idea what she would've said had it of been Nichkhun who had caught her. But catching sight of the younger girl's expression, Tiffany began chewing her lip guilty, and fixed Yoona with an almost pleading expression.

"I know I shouldn't but... you know that Alpha, Taeyeon? The one I told you about?"

Yoona nodded.

"Well, I can feel, right here-" she moved her hand to rest above her heart. "-that she's scared and worried about something, and she needs my help."

Yoona looked confused by this, and raised an eyebrow, that seemed more than a little critical.

"But she's an Alpha Tiffany, shouldn't she be able to handle it on her own?"

Tiffany frowned at this and shook her head.

"No, Taeyeon she- she's different, different to any Alpha I've ever met. She's quiet and sensitive, and she's not afraid to rely on others. But most of all, she's different because she treats me like... like an equal, like someone who's just as capable of looking after her than she is of me. And right now she needs me Yoona, probably more than any other time, or she wouldn't be calling upon me in such a way."

Yoona didn't look pleased about it, but Tiffany could tell from her expression and her demeanour that she had won her over. And indeed, Yoona let go of her wrist and apologised, which Tiffany took graciously.

"Just, be careful okay? Because Alphas... they're not always what they seem."

Tiffany was unsure what Yoona meant by this, but she dismissed it quite readily, as she was anxious to get out and see Taeyeon as soon as she could. So she nodded and reached forward, squeezing Yoona's hand reassuringly.

"I'll be careful, I promise."

"Okay, go, quickly. I'll try and cover you if anyone asks."

Tiffany smiled.

"Thank you Yoona."

Yoona shook her head as if to say that there was nothing to thank her for, and then for a few seconds she watched as Tiffany hurried away, disappearing into the thick forests surrounding the village. But then she turned away and retreated back to the Omega pack, and to the fight that was still going on between their Alphas, pretending for all the world as if she had never even left.

***

She made it to the river in what she suspected to be record time, spurred on as she was by the constant anxious feeling in her chest, transmitted from Taeyeon. It had been early evening when she had set off, and the moon was now high in sky, bathing the ground in a pale glow, but one which hardly illuminated anything. And as a result, her initial scan of the river bank came up empty, with no immediate sign of Taeyeon anywhere. But it was when she got closer, that a small, hunched shape finally began to take form out of the dark.

When she finally spotted Taeyeon, she was sitting with her back to the river, her elbows resting on her knees and her chin resting on her hands, staring down at the ground as if lost in thought. She didn't look up as Tiffany made her way down to her, and only made eye contact when Tiffany knelt in front of her, her eyes wide and worried.

"What is it?" Tiffany asked straight off, reaching for Taeyeon's hands, which were cold and trembling slightly. "What's the matter?"

Taeyeon sighed shakily, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip, a nervous habit of hers that Tiffany had by now, observed many times, and knew that it never meant that something good.

"It's my sister. She's coming back from America."

Tiffany raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise.

"You never mentioned your sister before."

Taeyeon shrugged slightly.

"She's been gone a long time, I just didn't think of it."

Her curiosity piqued, Tiffany continued to question her mate.

"Do you have any other siblings?"

Taeyeon nodded, but looked greatly troubled by this question, and didn't answer Tiffany for a long time, causing her Omega to wrap her hands around her arm and rest her chin on her shoulder worriedly.

"My brother..." Taeyeon eventually said, although she didn't elaborate any further.

"What happened to him?" Tiffany asked, though she was tentative about prying too far into the personal matters of her Alpha.

"He left, a long time ago. When I was sixteen."

Tiffany could tell that Taeyeon was apprehensive with talking about her family, and so didn't push her to talk any further, allowing her to continue only by her own volition.

"He never told me or Hayeon why, and my father refused to talk about it. I thought at the time it must be something to do with omma, because it hadn't been long before that she had died, but the more I thought about it... I don't know. It just didn't seem to make sense, that he would leave us at such an important time. And part of me never forgave him for leaving, even though I still don't know the reason why."

"Do you think he'll ever come back?" Tiffany mumbled against Taeyeon's shoulder.

Taeyeon shook her head.

"No, I don't think so. It's been too long."

Another small silence exceeded this, and Tiffany shifted beside Taeyeon, not liking this new type of awkwardness between them. And eventually she found that she had to break the quiet, to say anything to combat the pressurising feeling that seemed to be pushing against their bond, inching it that bit closer to breaking point.

"What about your sister then? How come she's in America?"

Taeyeon's forehead twitched slightly into a frown, and it took her a long time to answer Tiffany's question, but she did eventually do so, albeit almost dutifully.

"After Jiwoong left, she got restless. She took it even harder than I did, because I at least understood that there was probably a reason why he did it. But she just couldn't understand him at all. She started having more arguments with me and appa and eventually she decided that she couldn't stand to be here anymore, and that she wanted to travel the world instead. I begged her not to go, but she was sixteen herself by the time she left, and I couldn't force her to stay."

"So... when your father died, you were all alone?"

Taeyeon nodded, forlornly.

"Yeah. All on my own."

Tiffany's heart broke at seeing such venerability in her Alpha, and she nuzzled reassuringly under Taeyeon's chin, not liking how sad the news of her sister's return was making her feel.

"Is that why you wanted to find your mate?"

"It was part of the reason." Taeyeon admitted, but didn't elaborate any further.

The silence dragged on once more, and Tiffany became at a loss of how to comfort her Alpha. Because this was the first time she had ever seen Taeyeon like this, in a state of seemingly hopeless melancholy, without the motivation to even seek help for her misery. However, after a few minutes of this, Taeyeon did seem to somewhat shake off the daze she had been trapped in, and focused her attention more readily on her mate. 

"What about you?" she asked suddenly, the moment of awkwardness having finally subsided. "You haven't told me anything about your family. You have any brothers or sisters?"

Tiffany shook her head.

"All my family are dead."

Taeyeon's eyes widened, but her expression remained relatively impassive, perhaps knowing from personal experience that a big reaction to such knowledge was not always very helpful. So instead she brought Tiffany closer onto her lap, and began nosing gently at the side of her neck.

"Do you know how they died?" she eventually asked.

Tiffany shook her head again.

"I was never told. And I was so young when it happened, that I probably wouldn't have understood anyway. I guess it's why I feel such a debt to my pack. Whether I like it or not, they've been my family almost all my life."

Taeyeon looked troubled by this comment.

"I don't want to force you away from your family Tiffany."

Tiffany shook her head.

"No Taeyeon, you aren't doing that, I promise. And even if that were to happen, I'd chose you over them in a heartbeat. Because they might be of my blood, but even family can treat you badly. And with you, I've never felt like I've belonged with someone more."

At this, Taeyeon finally managed a smile, albeit it a weak one, and brought Tiffany into a hug, guiding her to rest her head against her chest. And Tiffany gladly welcomed the warmth of Taeyeon's embrace, gripping securely to the folds of her shirt and listening intently to her heartbeat, which was so strong and full of life. And for a long time they sat in silence, wrapped up in each others arms, enjoying the sort of comfort which could only be experienced by close contact with one's mate. And as time passed, as if in a dream, the two of them locked into a seemingly timeless world, Taeyeon found herself feeling suddenly that bit braver, and Tiffany that bit more loved.

"Can I ask you something?" Tiffany eventually asked, breaking the silence.

"Course." Taeyeon replied, rather offhandedly.

"Are you going to tell your sister? About us?"

Taeyeon opened her eyes, which had been closed in a state of relaxed thought, and looked down at the girl on her lap, a sympathetic sort of smile on her face.

"I think you already know the answer to that, sweetheart."

Tiffany sighed heavily and nodded.

"I know, it's just... I just wish that you could. I don't the fact that we have to be a secret, that nobody can know we're mates. It just makes me feel like, every time I sneak out to meet up with you, that I'm doing something bad. And I don't ever want to feel like our relationship is in any way wrong."

Taeyeon smiled and gripped Tiffany's chin gently between her thumb and forefinger, before pressing a firm kiss to her lips.

"Soon baby. Soon we'll be free. I promise."

And Tiffany, so overwhelmed was she by the sheer feeling of dependence radiating off from her Alpha, just nodded, fully believing her words, even when she was promising her the world.

***

Over the next week or so, Taeyeon's anxiety did definitely seem to curb slightly, despite the fact that Hayeon's arrival date was growing ever closer with each passing day. For it seemed that once again, the reassurance of her mate had restated her confidence, establishing her own belief in herself as the Alpha it had been intended for her to be, ever since she was born. She began asserting herself more as the pack leader and spending less time alone, both physically and mentally preparing her pack and herself from Hayeon's return. For her absence had been felt keenly by not only her family, but also by every other wolf-blood who was connected to her through the pack bond.

And quite aside from her anxiety at being face to face with her sister for the first time in a longer time than she could recollect, she felt a great sense of relief at having finally received such a letter from her, for she had had no way of knowing, what with the distance between her and her sister, how she had been doing or even, perish the very thought, whether she had even still been alive.

For thinking about it now, Taeyeon was finally beginning to realise how just important her sister had become to her, now that their father was dead, another body committed to the quickly depleting ranks of the Jeolla Kim family. And she knew as a result, that reestablishing their broken bond, was something she needed to focus on more than anything else as of present.

As a result of her increased involvement with her pack however, she had found it very difficult to meet up with Tiffany, and managed it only once between their last conversation and Hayeon's arrival date. But Tiffany had assured her of her understanding of Taeyeon's need to spend time with her sister, and insisted that she didn't go out of her way to meet with her, pleading instead that she spend the time that she needed to reasserting herself among her pack.

On the day that Hayeon arrived, Taeyeon had been relatively unprepared. She hadn't mentioned in her letter an exact date, and so Taeyeon hadn't known exactly when she'd turn up, which had of course, only been ever so helpful for her anxiety. And it was actually Hyoyeon who first made it known to her that her sister had finally come back home.

Coming out of her hut, she joined the throng of other pack members milling about in the main square, all of them excited to see the return of their old Alpha's youngest daughter, and Taeyeon swallowed hard, shuffling over to stand beside Yuri.

"Hey." Yuri said and Taeyeon nodded. "You excited?"

"Hmm." Taeyeon replied, rather noncommittally.

As Taeyeon fixed her eyes on the road leading down into the village, she felt her heart beat harder in her chest, clenching with anxiety. For she hadn't realised how unprepared she had been for Hayeon's arrival until it was just about to happen.

And then suddenly, Hayeon was in sight at the end of the road, backpack slung over one shoulder and walking slowly towards the village. Yuri grinned, overly pleased to see someone she had regarded as close as if she were her own baby sister, finally return to the pack. But when she looked over at Taeyeon, she did not look anything near the same. In fact, she looked terrified, frozen in place, her eyes stuck on Hayeon's slowly approaching form, and Yuri's eyes widened with concern.

"Taeyeon? Are you-"

Taeyeon, seemingly not hearing Yuri, turned almost instantaneously on the spot and in a second had taken off running. Alarmed, Yuri immediately gave chase, although Taeyeon was running practically as if her life depended on it, and it took Yuri right up until they got to the hillside overlooking the village, to catch up with her.

"Yah! What the hell is wrong with you?" Yuri snapped impatiently, taking firm hold of Taeyeon's wrist and tugging her back, to stop her from running any further.

And when Taeyeon spoke to defend herself, her words came out in a panicked stutter.

"I can't Yuri, I just- I can't-"

Taeyeon was hyperventilating, on full panic mode, and Yuri groaned internally. For she had hoped that Taeyeon would manage to keep it together this time, and not fall into this sort of state, which she had been resorting to far too often as of late. And so she grabbed Taeyeon's shoulders and turned her to face her, digging her fingers in hard.

"Taeyeon, I swear to God, you need to get a grip right now."

"No, listen, just let me- just let me go and find Tiffany, and I'll be back before-"

"Taeyeon!" Yuri practically shouted, having finally lost her cool with her best friend, and Taeyeon promptly shut up. Breathing hard, Yuri readjusted her grip on Taeyeon's shoulders and fixed her with a hard stare.

"Listen to me. Tiffany is not your keeper. I know that life's dealt you a bad hand, and that it's made you venerable, and made you feel like you need someone to rely on. And that's okay, because if I'm honest, a lot of Alphas would benefit from being more like you. But at times like this, I feel like I have to remind you who you are, and the obligation you have to people. And right now, your sister needs you Taeyeon."

Taeyeon pulled away from Yuri, rather more curtly than she might of usually, and sat down heavily on the hillside, burying her face in her hands.

"I'm sorry, I just..." she started, her breathing considerably more laboured than normal. "Seeing her just then, all grown up... it's bringing back too many memories. Bad ones at that. I just don't think I can face her right now. At least, not without crying."

Yuri sighed and sat down next to Taeyeon, clenching her hands into fists to repress her growing impatience with her best friend, and tried her best to be sympathetic.

"Listen Taeyeon, you're seeing your sister for the first time in almost two years. No-one's expecting you not to cry. It's okay, honestly."

Taeyeon shook her head adamantly.

"No it- it's not that. I don't care about all that Alpha presentation stuff, you know I never have. It's just... I feel like I owe it to her, now that I am the way I am today, to be the big sister to her that I couldn't be when she was younger. To not be the big sister that argued with her. To not be the one that devalued her opinion. To not be the one that let her walk out of my life all alone, all that time ago. I was weak then Yuri and, I'm just scared that... that I haven't changed. That I'm still that pathetic woman who would wish every night that she hadn't been born an Alpha."

As Taeyeon had talked, pouring out her heart to her best friend, Yuri's expression had slowly changed and was now set in a rather unimpressive frown. But inside, she was feeling more conflicted about Taeyeon than she ever had before. For it was becoming alarmingly clear to her that Taeyeon had an underlying problem with anxiety, and perhaps always had done, that was now only manifesting itself so intensely because of the sheer amount of pressure that Taeyeon had recently been subjected to.

And so she was very careful with her next words, trying to make sure that she wouldn't say anything that might overstep the mark, in terms of Taeyeon's fragile confidence and self-worth.

"Please Taeyeon. We need you to tell Hayeon what's happened with the pack. Not just because you're the leader, but because you're her sister. No matter how strained you think your relationship has gotten, you're still the closest person to her and you always will be. And she's going to need you, now more than ever."

Taeyeon glanced up at Yuri, her eyes wide and her gaze slightly disbelieving.

"You really think so?"

"Taeyeon, I've known you for as long as I can remember, so I know how you get about things like this. But I can also tell you that there is not one person in this pack that I trust more than I trust you. It doesn't matter yet that you're not quite the great leader you think you should be, but what I can say is that you're a bloody great sister, and you always have been. So I can't force you to do anything, but I strongly advise that you get your sorry ass back down to the village and you go and show your sister how much you've missed her. Because I can guarantee that she's missed you."

Taeyeon couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face after this and Yuri grinned, reaching out a hand and hauling her to her feet.

"Com'n you."

They returned to the village in step, Yuri holding her hand firmly, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay. And it was in the village square that they found Hayeon, talking to a group of mixed Betas and Omegas, and Yuri let go of her hand, giving her a firm nudge in the back of the shoulder. Repressing her nerves by digging her fingernails into her palms, Taeyeon stepped closer to her little sister and cleared her throat, and was then subjected to the agony of the few seconds it took for Hayeon to turn around and take her in, before she finally heard her speak for the first time in nearly two years.

"Taeyeon." Hayeon breathed out, her eyes wide with wonder at finally seeing her older sister in the flesh.

Taeyeon smiled.

"Hey there, little sister."

Smiling tearfully, Hayeon ran towards her and buried her face in her neck, wrapping her arms tightly around Taeyeon's waist. And Taeyeon found herself hugging back just as tightly, practically lifting Hayeon off of her feet, as she inhaled deeply, re-familiarising herself with a scent she had long forgotten.

And when Hayeon finally pulled away, Taeyeon took gentle hold of her shoulders and stepped back from her, looking over her little sister with an emotion that could only be described as pride on her face.

"You've grown." she said, and Hayeon laughed.

"I see you haven't." she replied, causing Taeyeon's mouth to drop open in mock offence.

"Still a snarky teen I see."

"I'm almost out of it."

Taeyeon smiled and ruffled her little sister's hair.

"It's good to see you kiddo. I missed you."

"I missed you too Taeyeon-ah, you and appa. Where is he anyway? I thought he'd be first out."

Taeyeon paused, her smile disappearing from her face. She hadn't expected that she would need to tell Hayeon about their father's death so soon, but then again, the poor kid could hardly be blamed for wanting to know where her father was. She did restrain from chewing on her lip like she would normally, knowing it would make her seem overly nervous, and might worry Hayeon unnecessarily. So instead she reached for Hayeon's hands and clasped them between her own, guiding her to sit down. 

"Hayeon, there's something I need to tell you."

Hayeon raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, giving Taeyeon the space she needed to talk. And now confronted with such direct anticipation from her sister, at receiving some promised information, Taeyeon found that her anxiety came back in a sudden spike, making her mouth dry and her hands shake slightly. Aware that it would probably be best to undertake such a conversation in private, she took Hayeon's hand and led her away from the rest of the pack, finding a quiet place for them to sit down.

"Um... well." she started, swallowing hard, nervously. "Almost three months back now, the pack suffered an... attack, from the Gwangjus. We weren't sure at the time what they were after, but we think now that they were actually going after appa specifically."

Hayeon looked surprised and considerably more worried.

"Why, what did he do to them? Is he okay?"

Taeyeon's next words stuck in her throat, and she had to force herself through them with a deep breath, dreading the reaction of her sister to what she was about to tell her. For although she was afraid of a bad reaction from her, one of sadness, disbelief, anger, she was much more afraid of the possibility that Hayeon would have no reaction at all. That she had felt so betrayed and alienated by her family, that she wouldn't even care if her own father was dead.

Taeyeon hadn't realised that she'd started crying until Hayeon touched her face, wiping away a stray tear, her expression one of great alarm.

"Taeyeon-ah... what's the matter? What's happened?"

"Hayeon... appa he-" Taeyeon bit her lip, unable to stop herself, and practically spat out her next words, just wanting to get them out and over with. "He was killed. During the attack. The Gwangjus killed him."

Hayeon seemed almost to freeze in place, her mouth stuck open slightly, struck into a position of still disbelief. She then shook her head slowly, as if wondering if she had heard Taeyeon correctly, and her mouth moved to say a few words, though they seemed to Taeyeon to be spoken almost in slow motion.

"He's dead?" Hayeon mumbled, incredulously.

Taeyeon nodded and bit down harder on her lip, as Hayeon turned her gaze downwards, her eyes taking on a strange glassy quality, as if she was staring but not actually seeing what she was so focused upon. And for a horrible moment, all she could do was watch and wait, nervously awaiting Hayeon's reaction to the news.

"Oh appa..."

Taeyeon saw tears well up suddenly in her little sister's eyes, and her protective instincts kicked in immediately. Wrapping her arm around Hayeon's shoulders, she allowed her sister to bury her face against her neck, and stroked her hair gently as she cried, her tears dampening her shirt. And when her crying threatened to turn into sobs, Taeyeon shushed her gently, rocking her gently in her arms.

"Where's his body?" Hayeon eventually asked several minutes later, having pulled away from Taeyeon's chest and rubbing her still damp cheek with the back of her hand.

Taeyeon shook her head.

"It isn't anywhere. Traditionally you're supposed to burn the body of the old Alpha when they swear in the next one, so that's what we did. But I don't suppose there was ever cause for you to be told that."

Hayeon nodded, although she looked as Taeyeon would've expected her to look, upon hearing the news that she wouldn't be able to say goodbye to her father. And she knew that this must hurt far more for her little sister than it had even for her, for she hadn't left him on bad terms, a daughter estranged from her father. In fact, things had been quite the opposite. For her father had had hopes and expectations of her that she was now only evermore doubtful that she was ever going to fulfil.

"So who's the Alpha now?" Hayeon asked, after a moment's pause.

The corner of Taeyeon's mouth raised into a slight smile.

"Well, you're looking at her."

Hayeon's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"You are?"

Taeyeon smiled again.

"Well don't act _too_ shocked."

Hayeon shook her head, smiling a little herself at her blunder.

"Sorry I... I guess I just didn't think. I mean, of course it would be you..."

Hayeon trailed off and a slight awkwardness settled over them. For although she hadn't mentioned him, Taeyeon could sense the indication she had been making about Jiwoong. For it had always been intended, since they were kids, that he would become the next Alpha, and obviously this broken assurance of the future of their pack was still set deep with Hayeon. 

"I'm sorry you had to deal with all that. By yourself, I mean."

In reaction to this, Taeyeon shook her head slightly and wrapped her arm back around her little sister's shoulders, kissing the side of her head.

"Don't worry about me kiddo. Now I've got you back, I'm feeling stronger than ever."

Hayeon smiled slightly.

"I'm surprised you took me back, after how I behaved."

"Of course. You're my baby sister. I'd never turn you away."

A long silence stretched on after this, with Hayeon shifted slightly to rest her head against Taeyeon's shoulder, her hands wrapped around her arm as if it was the last remaining thing that she knew she could rely on. But as the sun began to lower itself slowly in the sky, and a slight orange glow bathed over them, Hayeon finally spoke.

"So... it's just us then? The last remaining kin of the Kim family."

Taeyeon paused, considering this, before she nodded thoughtfully.

"I suppose it is."

And then the silence continued, stretching on until sunset, as the two sisters reunited clung to each other, a comfort to the other which could now no longer be replaced by anyone else in the world but them.


	8. Lost Hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can only apologise for how long it has taken for me to update this. As I'm sure you all know, these past few weeks have been a minefield of the unknown, and to be honest, I kind of just put this on hold for a little while. But now I am officially let off exams and in quarantine, my plans are to update as often as possible, both this and other stories, both for my sanity and hopefully to help a little with yours :) And all I can really say is, sorry for taking so long, and please stay safe and well in these difficult times <3

"I need to go soon, the run's tonight."

Tiffany nodded but didn't say anything, just nuzzled closer into Taeyeon's neck, re-familiarising herself with her scent. It wasn't that she had forgotten what Taeyeon smelt like, for how could she possibly? It was just that, whenever they were apart, the scent became dulled slightly in her memory, a poor facsimile of the original, and it took the real Taeyeon to reinvigorate it, up until the next time they could meet again.

Taeyeon, not wanting to dislodge Tiffany from her lap quite yet if she wasn't ready, just shifted slightly into a more comfortable position, and began stroking her hair. It was a calming habit, for she liked the feeling of running her hands through Tiffany's wild tresses of soft, dark hair, and she hoped that Tiffany liked it too, which she suspected she did as she always closed her eyes and lent her head back slightly when she did it.

After a few minutes of this though, and several anxious glances from Taeyeon at the ever sinking sun in the sky, she had gotten to a point where she really couldn't delay their separation any longer, as much as she didn't want to leave Tiffany. But when she tried gently to urge her to stand up, Tiffany just clung to her, refusing to let go.

"Fany-ah..." she coaxed, rubbing her thumb in circles around the pulse point on her neck. "I really need to go. It's the first run since Hayeon came back, I need to be there."

Tiffany sighed, rubbing her cheek against Taeyeon's shoulder as if trying to memorise the feel of her shirt material against her skin, but eventually she pulled away.

"I know Taeyeon-ah, I just haven't seen you in so long. I missed you."

Taeyeon gently tilted Tiffany's chin upwards so that her big dark eyes were focused on her, and then lent forward to give her a soft kiss.

"I missed you too baby. But you know how hard it is for me to get out to see you."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. I know you're trying." Tiffany mumbled against Taeyeon's neck.

Taeyeon smiled at her sympathetically.

"Hey now... it's okay. You don't have to apologise for not wanting me to leave."

Tiffany nodded again, but gave Taeyeon a little push, as if giving her permission to finally leave. Taeyeon did so, gently extracting herself from underneath her and then reaching down a hand to pull her up.

"But you'll meet me again?" Tiffany asked, a slight hint of worry in her tone. "Before... um, before next time?"

If Taeyeon had noticed her hesitation, she didn't show it, for she just smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind Tiffany ear and kissing her, before answering her question.

"Yeah, course."

Taeyeon smiled warmly at Tiffany, which seemed to reassure her enough to finally let go of her hand, and then sit back against the river bank, watching as Taeyeon disappeared across the border into Jeolla territory, her heart aching for the fact that she couldn't follow.

***

"You ready?"

Hayeon turned to her older sister and grinned, flexing her muscles and digging her feet into the sturdy earth of the hillside, ready to run.

"Of course."

Taeyeon grinned back, her eyes flashing with energy.

"Then let's go."

Taeyeon raised her head up and locked eyes with the full moon, letting it's restorative power wash over her before she let out an almighty howl, that was subsequently echoed by all the members of her pack, pushing a wave of moon-charged energy across the many wolf-bloods littering the mountainside. Digging her front most paw into the dirt, Taeyeon shot one last grin at her little sister before pushing off from the ground and beginning the run.

They followed the same route as always, although of course there were always slight deviations due to the unpredictable nature of the pack under the run. Although it would've been clear to any wolf-blood that Taeyeon had noticeably slowed up, allowing the other Alphas to take the lead so that she could keep pace with her sister. 

They had spent time talking, whenever they could, over these past few days, Taeyeon informing her of all that had gone on back home, while at the same time, questioning Hayeon for every detail she was willing to provide about her trip to America. And the more they spoke, the more Taeyeon realised how different Hayeon had become since she had last seen her.

No longer was she her sweet little sister, or even just another Beta of the Alpha Kim pack. For she had grown so much over those two years she had been gone, not just in height and age, but in the way she carried herself, in the way she asserted herself. And in many ways, Taeyeon saw in her little sister, a wolf-blood that was now far more certain of themselves and their place in this world, than she believed that she herself ever could be.

But now that they were on the run, these sorts of thoughts and anxieties, as per usual, just seemed to melt away, replaced by the pure elation of running, of leading her pack in the purest expression of freedom that a wolf-blood could engage in. And Taeyeon found that, rather than seeing her sister as a point of comparison to herself, or even as an entirely different person to the girl she had known her whole life, she was just her sister. Her own flesh and blood, running alongside her, a reminder that no matter how broken she could become, there would always be people there to help make her whole once more.

And such thoughts led her naturally to think of Yuri, strong, dependable Yuri, who she could see now at the front of the pack, leading them, along with her father, a natural at doing so. Taeyeon remembered when they were pups, that Yuri had always been the leader in whatever they were doing, be it runs, or play fighting, or even just teasing and playing around with the Omegas. It had always been Yuri. For with Jiwoong not yet gone, and the position of the next pack Alpha secured as his, Taeyeon had never thought that she would need to take such a position away from Yuri, happy enough to let her lead.

Even now, despite Yuri's strong protests whenever she brought it up, Taeyeon was sure that Yuri would've made a much better pack leader than her. For one, Yuri seemed never to doubt herself, as well as never having seemed to doubt the extent of her commitment to the pack, two things that Taeyeon did far too often to do well to dwell on.

And sometimes, when she came to thinking about things like this, Taeyeon wondered exactly what might happen, should she ever just ask Tiffany to come with her, to escape into the hills and just leave their packs behind. But it would take long, during these imaginary scenarios, for a strong pang to form in Taeyeon's chest, a distinct feeling of betrayal. And Taeyeon knew then, in her heart of hearts, that she would never leave her pack, _could_ never. And yet... it didn't stop her from thinking about it. For she wasn't entirely certain at all, that the pack wouldn't be better off without someone as conflicted as her leading it.

Soon enough, as was always the way, particularly with long runs as today's was, the Omegas soon started to drop off, with the Betas soon following them. Hayeon, to her eternal credit, stayed running as long as she could, although Taeyeon could tell she was struggling, and motioned as best she could to Yuri to keep leading the pack, as she led Hayeon back to the village, slowing their pace incrementally in order to start the cool down.

By the time they reached the village, the change on both of them had worn off considerably, with only slight tufts of hair here and there, and also their still protruding canines, alluding to the fact that they were anything but human.

They ended up sitting on the wall that surrounded the water-well in the centre of the village, breathing heavily but evenly, recovering from the run and waiting for the last recesses of the change to wear off. Taeyeon, being an Alpha, recovered faster than her Beta sister, and set about pulling some water up from the well and filling two cups, taken from the several that were balanced haphazardly on the well wall. Hayeon thanked her gratefully as she took it from her hand, drinking it all in one go, and then fixing Taeyeon with a curious smile.

"So tell me, Alpha-Female." she started. "You found yourself a mate yet?"

Taeyeon tried not to let her apprehension at being asked such a question show visibly on her face, and instead tried on a relaxed, pensive sort of look.

"Oh, you know me. I've never been too good at all that mate stuff."

"Well yeah, but I thought that was the _old_ you. I feel like there's so much about you that I might not know, since I've been gone so long. And y'know... Alpha-Female, leader of the pack legacy and all that. I just wondered is all."

Taeyeon chewed her lip, trying to think of a way around this.

"I'm working on it." she eventually settled for.

Hayeon grinned at her.

"Oh sure you are."

"What about you then, hmm? You find any hot American wolf-bloods over there?"

"Not so many actually. Twilight really oversold them."

Taeyeon smiled, cocking her head to the side slightly.

"When did you watch Twilight?"

"Oh y'know, during one of those trips into the city. When omma was still around."

Taeyeon nodded, allowing herself for a moment, to remember her mother. It was often that she did this, for it was often too painful, with the added sting of both her parents now being dead and gone. But when she was in the right sort of mood, thinking about her mother brought only happiness, as the memories of all the ways she had tried to improve their lives, to broaden their perspective, to make them different, to make them more than just 'children of the pack leader', came back to her as a pleasant sense of recollection, untainted by what would then become her eventual and unfortunate demise.

"Well, I'm glad to see you retained some of that Beta common sense at least."

Hayeon smirked, nudging her big sister with her elbow.

"Com'n now. You didn't really think I'd have it off with some guy over there did you? I mean, American wolf-bloods are cool and all, I'll give them that, but they're not really my type."

Taeyeon nodded, still trying to get used to the novelty of talking to her little sister about such things as relationships. For it felt odd, despite the natural openness about sexuality present in all wolf-bloods, for her to be doing so, as it wasn't something they had ever previously discussed before. But, she supposed, this was just another sign that Hayeon had grown up, and that the world was moving on from yesterday, no matter how uneasy Taeyeon felt about this.

"When I was gone." Hayeon mused, and Taeyeon pricked her ears up, paying full attention to her little sister. "You didn't happen to hear anything from Jiwoong did you?"

Taeyeon paused for a moment, the sudden question having taken her completely off-guard, and a sad look momentarily crossed her eyes, before she shook her head.

"No, not a word. Why, did you?"

Hayeon shook her head also.

"No, I just wondered, y'know, because I've been gone such a long time. I guess he's really not coming back huh?"

Taeyeon gave an almost inaudible sigh and lent her chin on her hand, staring out at the village but not really seeing it.

"No, I guess not."

***

Yoona frowned, searching the central courtyard for any sign of Tiffany. She had noticed during the run, that she had been much more subdued than normal, especially considering the fact that Yoona knew she had just come back from meeting Taeyeon, something which usually raised her spirits rather than dampening them.

She had meant to catch her after the run, but she had frustratingly managed to slip away, although Yoona could hardly blame her for this, for she had not known that she had wanted to speak to her. And indeed, she seemed to be in the sort of mood in which one wanted to be left alone. Although despite this, Yoona still wanted to speak to her, not wanting a fellow Omega to be left alone in such distress.

She had searched her hut first, even venturing down into her nest to see if she was there, although both had come up empty. Yoona thought hard, wondering where she would go in the village, if she wanted to be alone, and eventually came up with only one place she believed that Tiffany could be.

The chapel.

The chapel was one of the oldest buildings in the village, built during a time in which Christianity had experienced a sudden growth, both in Korean and wolf-blood society. It had since fallen into disrepair, as any sort of otherworldly faith was by now all but extinct amongst the members of the Gwangju pack. But Yoona knew that Tiffany, although not technically not religious herself, appreciated the meaning behind the chapel and found comfort in going there, for she had found out through various articles from her dead parents, that they had remarkably clung onto their Christian faith, even in a time in which it was no longer generally accepted.

She found Tiffany in there, sitting on one of the few pews that was still mostly intact, and staring at the debris covered alter, which was bare of any sort of cloth or adornments, as it would have had in it's height, when it was first built. Moving slowly and carefully through the remains of the partially destroyed chapel, she stopped just a metre or so to Tiffany's left, waiting for what she felt was an appropriate moment to interject.

"Hey... what's up with you?"

Tiffany looked up, visibly distracted and clearly having only just noticed that Yoona was there.

"Huh?"

Yoona gave her a small smile and sat down next to her in the pew.

"I said, what's up with you?"

"Oh, I was just... thinking."

"I can see that."

The corner of Tiffany's mouth twitched into a slight smile, but Yoona could tell that this was more for her benefit than her finding any actual humour in her comment.

"Come on you. Tell me what's going on. And I know it's about Taeyeon, because you haven't been the same since seeing her. And really, I'm the only one you _can_ tell about something like that."

Tiffany ducked her head slightly, shyly, showing Yoona that her assertion about Taeyeon was indeed correct. It took her a while to answer, but she did eventually, though Yoona noticed that she was twisting her fingers round each other nervously as she spoke.

"Well, you know that next month it'll be my first heat since..." Tiffany trailed off, biting down hard on her lip. "Since me and Taeyeon became mates."

Yoona watched Tiffany's expression carefully as she spoke, and felt the need to prompt her when she paused, realising that this was a sensitive topic for her.

"You're nervous?"

Tiffany nodded.

"It's not that I don't want to. It's just that... Taeyeon, she can be a little volatile sometimes, especially with emotions, so I don't know exactly how she's going to handle it. And also that, she just doesn't really seem like the type to... well, y'know, _do what Alphas do_. She seems almost too sweet to be like that, I just can't imagine it."

"Well... do you trust her to look after you?"

Tiffany nodded.

"Of course I do."

"And do you love her? Enough to know that this is definitely the right choice for you, and for her?" 

Tiffany nodded again, assured in her certainty.

"I do, I love her so much already, that I- I just don't want this to mess things up."

"Well, if you're that worried, how about doing it somewhere you're comfortable with?"

Tiffany gave Yoona a curious look.

"Where's that then?"

"Your nest of course."

Tiffany's eyes widened in surprise and she shook her head adamantly.

"No Yoona, we- we can't. That'd mean bringing Taeyeon right into the village. I couldn't do that, it's far too dangerous. Not to mention the fact that we'd both be hyped up on pheromones-"

"But listen." Yoona said, resting her hand gently on her wrist. "It doesn't need to be like that. I can cover for you."

Tiffany chewed her lip, nervously.

"I don't know... we'd still be taking a big risk."

"Look, Nichkhun's still up north isn't he?"

"Yeah, but who knows how long that'll last. A month is plenty of time for him to come back."

"Yes but listen here. If he isn't back by then, then great. All the easier for us. But is he is, then I'll make sure it's sorted. I can get help, we can protect you. Despite what he makes out, Nichkhun is not an all-powerful, all-seeing Alpha. And if this is what it takes to make you feel comfortable with Taeyeon, then that's what you're getting."

Tiffany was quiet for a long time, before she looked up at Yoona, fixing her with a deep, sad brown eyed gaze.

"You'd do that for me? For _us_?"

Yoona smiled at her.

"Us Omegas need to stick together, don't we? And besides. It'd be practically criminal of me if I didn't help you meet with your mate in any way I could."

Sniffing hard to ward off tears, Tiffany hugged Yoona tightly, burying her face in her neck.

"What would I do without you huh?" she mumbled.

"Well I rather think that's a question you'll never get the answer to." Yoona replied, as Tiffany let her go. "Because I'm not going anywhere."

***

"Hey, sorry I'm late. There were some details of the Yangsin trade deal I had to work out."

Tiffany shook her head, smiling.

"It doesn't matter. You're here now."

Taeyeon nodded in answer, but was then surprised by Tiffany moving very close to her, sitting herself practically on her lap, and then going in for a kiss. She kissed her back quite readily, of course she did, but the sudden immediacy of it still caught her off guard. And for a few minutes, that was all they did, Taeyeon simply assuming that Tiffany was making up for all the time that they couldn't be together, which was only ever increasingly as her role as pack leader brought more and more demands on her time and attention.

But eventually they broke apart, and Tiffany resigned herself to merely nosing at Taeyeon's neck, re-familiarising herself with her scent, something that Taeyeon had noticed she spent a long time doing, whenever they were together.

"I need to ask you something." Tiffany eventually mumbled against her ear.

"Hmm?" Taeyeon hummed in answer.

"Well, I'm sure you've worked out by now that... that your rut is coming up soon."

Taeyeon tensed up ever so slightly, but nodded in answer.

"Well I was wondering, possibly, if you'd like to come down to Gwangju for it."

Taeyeon raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Because... well, I just thought that. You're probably nervous right? And so am I. So I thought that maybe if we went back to my nest, we'd be in a safe environment, and it might mean that we're not so nervous about it."

"Isn't that too dangerous?"

Tiffany shook her head.

"Yoona's helping me with it. She told me that she can be sure that no-one will disturb us. And Nichkhun's still away up north, so he's not a problem."

Taeyeon still looked a little unsure, chewing her lip as she thought it over.

"If that's what you want." she eventually replied, essentially agreeing with Tiffany's plan, and Tiffany smiled, hugging Taeyeon tightly round the waist and nuzzling her face against her neck.

"Hmm... I love you Taeyeon-ah."

For a second, that seemed to stretch on forever in Taeyeon's resultant memory of this moment, she was sure that she hadn't heard Tiffany right. For surely she couldn't just have said... that she loved her? And yet, as her understanding of the words slowly caught up with the hearing of the words themselves, it came to her as quite the sudden realisation. That Tiffany had just told her that she loved her.

The realisation of this hit Taeyeon like a punch to the gut. For up until now, their relationship had been relatively undefined, both of them assured enough of it's security so that they felt that they didn't have to name things categorically. But with such a confession from Tiffany, Taeyeon felt quite suddenly lost, as if what she had known their connection to be had just fallen away, leaving her suspended in a great nothingness of uncertainty.

But worst of all, more so even than the quite simply unexpected nature of such a confession, was that Taeyeon had realised, with that horrible feeling of knowing something to be true and yet wishing more than anything that it weren't, that she didn't love Tiffany. Tiffany loved her and yet she _didn't_ love Tiffany.

More out of numb shock than anything else, Taeyeon didn't say anything, and just carried on stroking Tiffany's hair, keeping the movement going almost on auto-pilot so as not to alarm Tiffany as to the notion that anything might be wrong.

More out of something to fill the silence than any sort of response, she began humming a tune she seemed to remember her mother singing to her, and humming in the way that was colloquially known by all wolf-blood pups growing up as crooning. It was a soothing sort of humming, intended to calm a distressed pup and help soothe them to sleep, and a similar technique was often used by Alphas for their Omegas, whenever they too were distressed.

And her intentions for doing so seemed to be working, as Tiffany visibly relaxed into her arms and began breathing more deeply and evenly, as if beginning to fall into a light sleep.

For a long time they sat under the stars, Taeyeon still gently stroking Tiffany's hair as she hummed whichever childhood tune came into her head next, and Tiffany herself falling ever deeper into the comfort of Taeyeon's warm embrace, feeling so totally safe and in love with her Alpha, perhaps more than ever before.

Taeyeon however, could not relax in anywhere near the same way. For she had now been forced to battle internally, the many questions and resultant decisions that their changing relationship had since brought up, in these few short minutes. And it seemed that her own distress surrounding this, had since overpowered her efforts to cover it up, for Tiffany was soon shaken from her stupor, and looked up at Taeyeon, concerned.

"Taeyeon? What's wrong?"

Taeyeon shook her head slightly, focusing back on Tiffany.

"Oh, um. Nothing much. I was just thinking... I don't want to, but, I should probably be getting back. I left things with a bit of uncertainty, y'know..."

Taeyeon was rambling by now, and Tiffany smiled, silencing her with a kiss.

"It's okay. I understand."

Taeyeon was surprised by this sudden show of permissible nature from Tiffany.

"You sure?"

"Yes Taeyeon, I'm sure. You have a pack to lead, and I understand that."

Tiffany raised herself up off of Taeyeon's lap and then, although Taeyeon knew it was an effort for her seeming how much physically stronger she was than Tiffany, reached down a hand to pull Taeyeon up after her. There was then a moment of quiet, where they just stood silently, nose to nose, both hands interlinked and Tiffany resting her cheek on Taeyeon's shoulder.

"You'll be there?" she eventually mumbled, as she pulled away. "Wednesday night?"

Taeyeon nodded quickly, impatient to get out of this situation.

"Course I will be."

Tiffany smiled, although Taeyeon could tell that she was slightly concerned about her, by the way she gripped her hand, caressing her thumb along the side, not wanting to let go, although she amicably refrained from voicing these concerns. Leaning forward, Taeyeon kissed her, gently tugging her hand away from hers as she did so, and then gave her one last smile before she turned and ran off into the darkness, forcing herself not to look back, for she knew that if she did, what she would see could possibly break her heart beyond repair.

***

"Hey buddy. We missed you at dinner."

Taeyeon looked up, acknowledging Yuri's presence, but she seemed distracted.

"Oh... sorry."

Yuri raised an eyebrow.

"That all you're gonna say?"

Taeyeon shrugged and Yuri rolled her eyes, sitting herself down heavily next to Taeyeon.

"Come on, what is it this time?"

Taeyeon gave her a reluctant side glance before sighing, and beginning to voice her latest fears to her best friend.

"I'm worried."

Yuri smiled slightly.

"Well you wouldn't be you if you weren't worried. But go on. Tell me what about."

Taeyeon's face was set into a hard frown, her hands clasped tightly together in front of her, and Yuri's smile faded slightly as she watched her, realising that this particular worry of Taeyeon's was more serious than usual.

"It's Tiffany. She told me, yesterday, that... she loved me."

Yuri raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"So?"

Taeyeon raised her head to look at Yuri, incredulously.

"So? What do you mean so?"

"I mean why is that such a big deal all of a sudden? You've been acting like love's young dream from the moment you saw her-"

"Because Yuri!" Taeyeon interjected sharply, and rather unintentionally defensively. "I... I don't know. It's complicated."

"What's complicated about it?"

Taeyeon sighed, tangling her fingers up in her hair as she began chewing her lip, hard.

"I don't love her Yuri. Not... not in the way that I think she loves me."

Yuri frowned, concerned.

"But... what about that time when you first met? And then, when you ran back to her to make up? You said it felt right, like you were made for each other. What happened?

"Well yes, I _care_ about her. And, I like being around her and kissing her and being everything a mate should be for an Omega. And yes, I feel that bond that we have, right here." She held a hand over her heart. "But I just... I don't _love_ her. There's no spark, no passion, none of that feeling of just... complete adoration. It's just not there. And I've tried and I've tried to make myself feel that way about her, but- it's just not happening."

Yuri frowned to see such distress in her fellow Alpha, for it was a certain type of distress that she hadn't seen in Taeyeon before. For it wasn't one particularly of self-doubt, or conflict, or concern, but rather one of feeling like she was betraying not only the feelings of her mate but also her own feelings. That something was so fundamentally wrong with her, that she couldn't even manage to fall in love with her own mate, of all people.

"Well... why not just tell her?" Yuri suggested cautiously. "I'm sure she'd understand-"

"No Yuri. If I tell her, I'm sure... it'd break her heart. But I have to keep going, because... well, it's not like we can just go our separate ways anyway, what with us being mated."

Taeyeon finished this sentence with a melancholic sigh, which was so over-dramatic that Yuri would've rolled her eyes, had she not known how seriously Taeyeon felt about this.

"Look." she started, keeping with her no nonsense attitude in dealing with Taeyeon's seemingly constant inner conflicts. "Being in love with someone and being someone's mate are not necessarily one and the same. Sometimes it can seem like they are, because of the way bonding works, but one of those things is entirely biological, whereas the other, if it's serious, can be much more psychological. And you can't force yourself, especially mentally, to feel a certain way about someone."

"But I'm-" Taeyeon paused, and bit down slightly on her tongue. "I'm scared." she eventually admitted. "I'm scared that my attraction is only ever going to be because of stupid chemicals and that nothing we have is ever going to be real. And... I don't want to commit to something as important as mating, if I can't promise her that that commitment is real."

Yuri inhaled and exhaled heavily, trying not to lose patience with Taeyeon. Because she loved her as if she were her own sister, but she didn't half annoy her sometimes with the way that she seemed almost adamant on being anything but the strong, decisive Alpha Yuri knew that she could be. 

"Look, Taeyeon. I can't tell you what to do. But I would say that sometimes you just have to follow what the body wants, and deal with the complicated feelings after. And it's like you said, it's not like you can just let her go. And besides... I've seen the way you talk about her, the way your mood improves every time you come back from seeing her. You care about her Taeyeon, and that's not based on nothing. So it's okay if you're not quite ready to say that you love her."

Not quite believing Yuri, Taeyeon didn't say anything, and Yuri eventually left her alone, leaving her with a comforting squeeze of her shoulder.

That night she lay awake, staring at the ceiling, quite simply unable to sleep. For although Yuri had assured her that she didn't need to love Tiffany yet, she still felt that intense sting of betrayal, and a strong sense of a heart lost and bereft, no longer safe in it's own position nor understanding of love. For what sort of mate was she, not to be able to love someone mapped out in the stars to be her very own?

Sighing, she turned over in bed and curled herself up into a foetal position, hoping against all hope that things would somehow work out, and that at some point, be it with Tiffany or not, her lost heart could be found again.


	9. Mating

The night of Taeyeon's first rut with Tiffany having been accepted as her mate, was a nerve-racking one to say the least for Taeyeon. For most of her life, starting in her early teenage years,she had been terrified of losing control around an Omega, and hurting them beyond the measure of being able to live with herself for doing so. So now that she was finally in a situation where the rut was supposed to be a welcome thing, it was making her feel almost sick with nerves.

She was a little unsure as to whether or not her and Tiffany's rut and heat would be completely synced, but Tiffany had told her that it seemed to be around the same sort of time. And regardless of who's actually came first, the moment that they came into contact with each other, they would most likely kick each other off purely from the scent of their pheromones alone.

The run down to Gwangju territory had been equally nerve-racking, for even though she had informed Yuri of what she was doing beforehand, so that her absence would have an explanation, she had neglected to mention that she was going right into the Gwangju village in order to do it.

But, just as Tiffany had promised, there was no-one in sight as she approached the outskirts of the village, going the same way she had when she had first pursued Tiffany back to her village, through the forest. And there, in almost exactly the same spot she would've imagined, Tiffany was waiting, visibly bobbing up and down, agitated and impatient to see her mate.

When she saw Taeyeon emerge from the trees, her whole face lit up and she practically bounded over to her, which was when Taeyeon got her first hit of her scent during the heat. The effect it had on her was immediate and overwhelming, causing her to clench her fists tight by her sides, for her rut, which had been simmering on low heat for a while now, had suddenly ripped to the forefront, like a rabid wolf trying to tear itself out of her chest.

Tiffany reached forward and took her hand gently within her own, and Taeyeon immediately felt a surge of hot energy that jumped between them as soon as they touched, like an electric current. She could tell that Tiffany had noticed this too, for how could she not have, but she didn't show it on her face, and continued to lead Taeyeon round the edge of the village and up to a small hut that was about halfway between the outskirts and the centre. 

It was built in the way that Omega huts usually were, small and unassuming above ground, but as Taeyeon knew from her own Omegas, were fitted with a very secure basement, within which she knew that Tiffany would've built her nest. As they entered the hut, a lump formed in Taeyeon's throat, a sign of nerves. For very soon they would be trapped close together in the basement, and the realities of what mating entailed would become frighteningly real and immediate.

Tiffany paused for a moment once they were inside the hut, letting go of Taeyeon's hand to allow her to have a look around. It was all open plan, with her bedroom at the far end, which then led into a small sitting area, which was filled with a mismatch of benches, tables, bookshelves and many miscellaneous items with which to pass time. Against one wall there was a fireplace, empty and cold as of now, with a chimney leading up and out through the roof and a small frame built over it, presumably used to hold a bowl or cauldron over the fire.

Taeyeon smiled when Tiffany looked at her, as if seeking her approval, for she appeared almost a little embarrassed by her small living quarters.

"It's nice. Cosy."

Tiffany smiled back, although she was visibly agitated, as Taeyeon could tell by the scent of her pheromones. Rather impatiently, Tiffany grabbed her hand once more and led her to a small yet sturdy looking wooden door, next to that of the one leading into the washroom. And upon opening it, they were greeted with a set of wooden stairs, leading down into the basement. Tiffany led her down them carefully, for there was no lighting on the actual staircase, and turned to lock the door behind them before descending the last few stairs.

Tiffany had once again let go of her hand upon entering the basement, and had immediately moved to settle herself in her nest, which was a mismatch of mostly cushions, blankets and clothes, seemingly not arranged in any particular manner, although there did seem to be some unknown sense and logic to the layout. Taeyeon swallowed nervously once more, as she bent down to untie the laces of her boots and take them off, feeling out of place. An Omega's nest was supposed to be a private, special place, the one place in any wolf-blood community where Alphas in particular were forbidden from entering. And so she couldn't help the feeling that she was invading Tiffany's privacy, despite Tiffany herself having been the one to suggest that they take their first mating session within her nest.

"Well? Are you gonna come join me or what?"

Taeyeon shook her head slightly and focused on Tiffany, who was sitting in her nest and watching her curiously. Not wanting to upset her, Taeyeon dutifully moved closer, kneeling down on the edge of the nest. But no sooner had she done so, did Tiffany grab hold of the front of her shirt and pull her closer, so that they were practically nose to nose.

Taeyeon swallowed hard, for Tiffany's heat intensified scent was now strong and sure in her nose, which sent a sharp prickle of anticipation down her back and caused her muscles to tense quite involuntarily. Raising her gaze to meet Tiffany's, she saw a great deal of expectation within them, and realised quite suddenly that not only did she not know what Tiffany was wanting her to do, but also that she didn't know what to do full stop. And so Taeyeon turned away from Tiffany slightly, her cheeks tinged with pink.

"I um... don't really know what to do."

Tiffany's gaze softened slightly, as she realised that she might've been expecting too much from Taeyeon, especially from what she knew about her, and the fact that this was her first time doing anything like this.

"Well." Taeyeon interjected, perhaps trying to save face a little. "I know how it works. It's just... on the rut, things are... different. And, y'know, I've never..."

Tiffany nodded slowly, trying to hold Taeyeon's gaze, although she seemed not to be able to, as Taeyeon's eyes were fixed on the floor, the walls, her clothes, hands, anywhere but her face.

"Um. You do... you do _know_ , right? What happens?" she eventually asked, finally raising her head enough to make eye contact with her mate.

Tiffany swallowed nervously and nodded.

"Yeah. I know that Alpha females, in the rut, they- they um..."

Tiffany cheeks coloured slightly, her blush matching Taeyeon's and the two of them looked away from each other, too awkward to even think about voicing what they knew they were both thinking. But then a rather uncharacteristic smirk made it's way onto Tiffany's face, and she lent upwards slightly to mumble something in Taeyeon's ear, which caused Taeyeon to pull away, wide-eyed with surprise, before she laughed, shaking her head and pushing Tiffany's shoulder playfully.

"You're so stupid..."

"Excuse me for trying to lighten the mood."

Both of them were kneeling in the nest now, facing each other, their bodies only inches apart. Tiffany reached forward and cupped Taeyeon's cheek in her hand, searching for consent in her eyes before she leaned forward and kissed her. And this at least, Taeyeon seemed comfortable with, for it wasn't long before she had moved to kiss Tiffany's neck, inhaling deeply the heady scent that she was giving off.

Tiffany soon noticed however, a few minutes later, that Taeyeon had stopped kissing her neck and had closed her eyes, her breathing becoming shallower and harsher in her ear. Realising what was happening to her Alpha, Tiffany swallowed nervously and moved her hand cautiously down to Taeyeon's crotch. And Taeyeon jumped slightly, as Tiffany came into contact with the shape of her hard-on.

Taeyeon's face turned a shade darker from embarrassment, and Tiffany smiled to see her Alpha so flustered. For she couldn't claim to know much about Alpha ruts, but she did know that most Alphas in this situation would be anything but embarrassed. But that's what she liked about Taeyeon. For she was both Alpha enough and yet never too Alpha, assertive but not aggressive, protective but not possessive. A perfect middle ground between extremes.

In an attempt to reassure Taeyeon, and let her know that it was okay for her to let out her inner Alpha if she needed to, she adjusted the way they were sitting so that Taeyeon was positioned more comfortably on top of her, before she pulled her closer, trying to encourage Taeyeon to loosen up and relax.

She guided Taeyeon to nose against her scent gland once more, knowing that this out of anything would be what would set her off and indeed, Taeyeon shuddered slightly as she inhaled deeply against Tiffany's neck, arching her hips forward quite involuntarily so that Tiffany could feel her arousal pressing up against her leg. Hoping that this was helping Taeyeon push through her embarrassment at her anatomy as a female Alpha, Tiffany moved to unbutton Taeyeon's shirt, something which she didn't stop her from doing. Quite the opposite, she helped Tiffany to undo it, leaving it loose around her shoulders, and then did the same to hers, although she didn't remove it completely.

Taeyeon's eyes immediately moved down to Tiffany exposed neck and collarbone, taking in the sight of something she had never seen before. And Tiffany, all too happy with Taeyeon being distracted, used it as an opportunity to unhook her belt and then carefully unbutton her jeans. Taeyeon didn't object to Tiffany slowly working off her clothes, and instead buried her face against her neck once more, her hands moving up to tangle in her hair. And so Tiffany was able to fully undo Taeyeon's jeans and then pull them off completely. 

Pulling away, she was now able to admire Taeyeon more fully, now that her jeans were gone and her shirt was open, exposing her toned stomach. Taeyeon was wearing a pair of fitted boxer shorts, through which her hard-on was now ever more visible. Tiffany had been surprised to see her wearing them, although now she thought about it, she couldn't think why. For logically, it would have been significantly uncomfortable for Taeyeon had she have been wearing women's underwear instead.

"Do you usually wear these?" she asked, genuinely curious. "Even not on the rut?"

Taeyeon went pink once more.

"Um, yeah. I like them. They're comfortable."

"And convenient I suppose."

Taeyeon didn't say anything in answer to this, and Tiffany could sense that she was making her Alpha feel uncomfortable, and so switched tact quickly. For the last thing she wanted to do was stress Taeyeon out. Although more out of the need to try and dispel her own nerves, she decided that getting it over and done with was probably better than wasting any more time, and so she hooked her fingers under the waist band of Taeyeon's fitted boxers, moving to tug them down. But before she could get anywhere near doing do, Taeyeon grabbed her wrist, her grip suddenly, scarily tight.

"Wait- please."

Tiffany pulled her hands away quickly, feeling guilty, for she hadn't wanted to force Taeyeon into anything. But looking at Taeyeon's expression now, she could tell that Taeyeon hadn't stopped her from a lack of wanting. For her desire was written all over her face. But along with it was fear, apprehension. Something was holding her back, something that had nothing at all to do with her natural Alpha urges.

"Taeyeon-ah..." Tiffany said gently, cupping Taeyeon's cheek with her hand. "You know you can tell me anything right?"

Taeyeon, who Tiffany could tell was still being greatly affected by her heat-induced scent, for she was breathing unusually heavily, paused for a moment. And during this pause, she lent her hand back against the floor to support her, as she seemed also to be having trouble staying upright.

"Um..." she started, biting her bottom lip hard, nervously. "I just..."

She trailed off, finally opening her eyes enough to make cautious and rather embarrassed eye contact with her Omega.

"Can you... not look at it? Please."

Tiffany frowned slightly, having not realised that this was a point of concern for her Alpha.

"Why?"

Taeyeon gave her an odd sort of look, that seemed in part to be one of disappointment, that Tiffany hadn't thought about how this would be an issue for her.

"I don't like it." she admitted, after a moment's pause. "I don't like the way it feels or the way it looks. And I just... I don't like that it- it makes me feel like- like less of woman. That because I'm an Alpha, I'm forced to be some... _imitation_ of a man." She trailed off and looked away from Tiffany, before continuing in a mumble. "It makes me feel even more insecure with who I am."

As Taeyeon looked away from her mate, Tiffany took gentle hold of her shoulders, squeezing them reassuringly and waiting until Taeyeon picked up her gaze once more.

"Listen to me Taeyeon. You were born a woman, and if that's what you feel you are, then that's what you are. And nothing the world can throw at you will change that. It wouldn't matter if you were an Alpha, Beta, Omega or even human. You'd still be every bit a woman as anyone else. And regardless on anything else, it's _you_ I want. And I want _every_ part of your beautiful body."

Taeyeon's cheeks flushed an even deeper colour than before, demonstrating clearly how awkward she still was with being like this. For she knew that the typical Alpha image was one of strong, sensual, confident sexuality, and this only made her even more hyper-aware as to the extent that she herself was failing to live up to this ideal. And noticing that Tiffany was still casting short glances 'below the belt' as it were, she used her index finger to tilt her chin upwards and fix her with a look that was, if anything, slightly pleading.

"Still... could you not?"

Tiffany smiled and kissed Taeyeon softly.

"Don't worry baby. The only thing I'm going to be looking at is your gorgeous face."

Taeyeon smiled back at this, and manoeuvred herself so that she was resting more comfortably over her mate, supporting herself easily with her strong shoulders. Tiffany's hands moved cautiously to her waist, searching Taeyeon's eyes for consent to move forward. And just before she leaned in to kiss her once more, Taeyeon nodded, knowing now for sure that no matter how nervous she was, this was something she wanted to do, and with nobody else but Tiffany.

***

Luhan paused for a moment as he entered the grounds of the village, his head swivelling from side to side as he inhaled the air heavily. Right now, he and the rest of the Alphas and Betas were supposed to be on a hunter-gatherer trip, to stock up on food when it was still plentiful, as had been the request of several of the Omegas who insisted it was necessary. But, having not really been in the mood to hang around a bunch of hyped and bloodthirsty Alphas, he had tailed back around and down to the village as soon as he could get away with it.

But no sooner had he set foot within it, had he caught a strange scent in the air, which caused a prickle of unease to run up his spine. Something was wrong. Somebody was here who wasn't supposed to be.

He followed the scent round to the thick part of the forest bordering the northern edge of the village, where he picked up a trail, the scent now strong enough for him to make out it's owner. It was an Alpha scent, not Gwangju but... he screwed up his nose, trying to differentiate the scent, which was made all the more difficult by the fact that this scent in particular was overwhelmed by rut pheromones. 

And then, all of a sudden, the scent came to him blindingly sharply, for it was from a night that he would never forget. The night that he had found Tiffany, bleeding out, close to death, in the forests bordering the Jeolla village. And the scent he was picking up now was exactly the same as the one that had been all over Tiffany that night.

Luhan's heart clenched in sudden fear and protectiveness, as he remembered that it was tonight of all nights that Tiffany had fallen into her heat. And as he hurried along the scented trail, he realised all too suddenly that the trail was leading to the Omega huts, to _Tiffany's_ hut. He began running full pelt, anxiety flooding through him at the strong possibility that he was already too late, that he would burst in to find Tiffany, venerable, heat-stricken Tiffany, at the full mercy of a rut-hyped Jeolla Alpha, come to seek her out and tear her apart.

But when he was nothing more than a few metres away from the Omega huts, a small shape darted out of the shadows cast by the fast fading light of early evening, and tackled him squarely in the chest, sending both of them sprawling. Immediately he deployed a defensive stance, preparing for a fight, but no sooner had he done so did he then drop his guard, as he saw who it was that had tackled him.

"Yoona?"

"Luhan-ssi." she breathed out raggedly, her eyes wide and fearful.

"What's the matter? Did the Alpha hurt you too?" he asked.

Yoona frowned, still breathing hard, and shook her head.

"No, no, Luhan, listen to me. You have to listen."

"I can't listen now Yoona, I have to-"

Yoona grabbed Luhan's arm and pulled him back as he began to turn, squeezing tightly and alarming him, for he had never seen an Omega act quite like this before.

"It's that I need to talk to you about, what I need to explain."

Luhan glanced anxiously over at the Omega huts, but then nodded at Yoona to show her that he was listening.

"Well first of all, I need you to keep this a secret. Can you promise me that?"

"I..." Luhan hesitated.

" _Promise me_." Yoona insisted forcefully, and Luhan swallowed hard and nodded, not used to such aggression from an Omega.

"Good."

Yoona paused for a moment, her fingers twisting round each other nervously and a fearful, harried look crossing her eyes.

"The Alpha in Tiffany's nest right now-" she eventually started, causing Luhan's eyes to widen in surprise, in the realisation that Yoona already knew about the Alpha. "-is not dangerous and they are not going to hurt her. That I can assure you."

Luhan frowned and stuttered out a protest.

"But- it's a Jeolla-"

Yoona held up a hand to silence him.

"I know. I know it's Jeolla."

Luhan stared at Yoona with a sense of stark confusion.

"What do you mean you know?"

Yoona sighed, exasperated, and ran a hand haphazardly through her hair.

"Um, you remember during the attack on the Jeolla village a few months back? How Tiffany ended up getting bitten?"

Luhan nodded.

"Well... the bite, it sort've... fucked up her bonding. Turns out, because of the position of the bite, and the fact that she hadn't ever been bonded before, she became suddenly and unintentionally bonded to the Alpha that bit her. A Jeolla Alpha."

Luhan shook his head slowly, hardly able to believe what he was being told.

"How... how long have you known this?"

"Quite a while." Yoona admitted. "Not too long after Tiffany realised herself."

"So, the Alpha in there is..."

"Her mate. Yes."

"And that's why you got the Omegas to send us all away."

Yoona nodded yes again, and Luhan sat down heavily, trying to process this information.

"A Jeolla Alpha..." he muttered, and Yoona grasped his arm once more, looking at him almost pleadingly.

"Please. You can't tell anyone. I promised her that I would protect their relationship, that I would keep it a secret. _Please_ Luhan. You know as well as anyone that Nichkhun in particular can never find out that she already has a mate."

Luhan sat still, his hands clasped in front of him, for a long time, with Yoona watching him cautiously, ready to stop him by any means necessary should he try and make for the Omega huts once more. But then, very slowly, he raised his head and fixed her with a look she couldn't quite determine.

"You need help?"

Yoona's eyes widened slightly, surprised by the answer.

"I can help you, if you want. To keep it a secret."

The corners of Yoona's mouth turned up into a slight grin.

"You'd do that?"

Luhan fixed her with a deeply considerate gaze, his dark, soulful eyes locking onto her own.

"Yoona, you know as well as me how much I care about that girl. And seeming as it's abundantly clear that I'll never have a chance with her, the least I can do is help protect her." He shook his head slightly. "I'd never forgive myself if I let her come to harm."

Filled with relief that Tiffany's secret wasn't going to be betrayed, Yoona hugged Luhan tightly round the waist, knocking him off-balance, causing him to right himself with a smile.

"Just tell me one thing." he asked, as Yoona let him go.

Yoona nodded.

"This Alpha. They'll look after her, won't they?"

Yoona shrugged, although she was smiling.

"I couldn't say for sure but, yes. I think they will."

***

Taeyeon stopped moving quite suddenly, and Tiffany opened her eyes sharply to look at her. She was supporting herself tensely above her, her teeth clenched together and sweat beading on her forehead, and she looked nervous, scared almost. At first Tiffany struggled to figure out what could possibly be holding her Alpha back, for she had been reasonably okay up until this point, if a little clumsy and awkward. But then she realised, with the new feeling of an added pressure against her pelvis, that Taeyeon had finally reached that point, the whole point of mating in the first place. The actual _mating_.

"Taeyeon-ah... what's wrong? Why did you stop?"

Taeyeon gave her a wide-eyed look, as if implying that it was obvious why she had stopped, before she bit her lip hard and mumbled out an answer.

"I... um. Didn't know if you wanted..."

Tiffany shook her head slightly, as if to show that she didn't care what Taeyeon did, and so Taeyeon was forced to go a step further in her explanation.

"I don't want to hurt you." she eventually admitted.

Tiffany shook her head, reaching up her hand to run her thumb gently across Taeyeon's jaw, cupping her cheek with her hand, her libido stunted somewhat by the sight of her Alpha so worried and apprehensive.

"It's okay Taeyeon-ah, you don't have to be scared of it. You're an Alpha and I'm an Omega. It's what we do."

Taeyeon began chewing her lip, that Tiffany could see was already torn ragged.

"I know, but it's just- I- I've... I've always been scared, ever since I was a kid, about hurting an Omega. Because you're- you're all just so sweet, and so gentle, and I want to keep that innocent light in your eyes alive forever, and not tarnish it because I was being too- too _Alpha_..."

Tiffany's gaze softened at these words, and she lent up to kiss Taeyeon sweetly.

"You're such a charmer, you know that?"

Taeyeon smiled slightly at this as well, showing off a glimpse of her teeth, but she shook her head as she looked away.

"Me, a charmer? No Tippani, I just got lucky."

"How'd you mean?"

"You and me. Us as mates, it wasn't supposed to happen, but it did. And I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have accidentlied myself into finding you."

Tiffany shook her head slowly, although she was smiling.

"Love isn't luck Taeyeon. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't. It can happen quickly or take far longer than you ever thought it would. And sometimes they might be your soulmate, and other times it's that you care just enough for it to keep working. But love will always come around, in some form or another, and that's not luck Taeyeon."

Taeyeon bit her lip upon hearing the word 'love' once more from Tiffany, for even now she was sure, with pretty accurate certainty, that she didn't quite love her back yet. For Tiffany was looking at her as if she were her whole world, and Taeyeon wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to look at her back the same way. Regardless however, right now for sure, wasn't going to be the moment that she revealed such a thing to her mate.

"But, I just..." she started, struggling with her words. "I wonder what I did to deserve that. From... from someone like you. I'm conflicted, and insecure and- and impulsive, and I'm scared that if I allow someone to love me, I'm just going to end up hurting them. Because I don't- I don't know how to deal with these feelings..."

"You don't ever need to worry about hurting an Omega Taeyeon. You're the gentlest, sweetest Alpha soul I've ever set eyes upon. You couldn't hurt an Omega if they punched you in the face."

"I hurt you..." Taeyeon mumbled.

Tiffany looked surprised.

"When?"

"During the attack that killed my father. I bit you. Because I lost control. And... I never stopped thinking about it, even after I asked you to be my mate, I still thought about it. Because in that moment, I wilfully hurt an Omega. And I just can't stop thinking... what if I do it again?"

Tiffany could feel from the rigidness in Taeyeon's shoulders, that her self-doubt was starting to drag her out of the moment, and so she moved her hand up to wrap around the back of her neck, an attempt to keep her focused and close to her.

"Taeyeon, sometimes, when the people we love most are at risk, we do things that hurt other people. And you can't keep on blaming yourself for that. And right now, I can honestly say that I love you enough to trust you with my life. And I trust you right now. Because I know that you would never hurt me on purpose."

Taeyeon gave Tiffany a strange sort of look, and Tiffany frowned, worried that Taeyeon might pull away before they were done, and how that would feel if she did. But then she felt her begin to relax again under her hands and her expression cleared into a slight smile. Leaning down to nuzzle at Tiffany's neck, she mumbled her next words lightly across her skin.

"Okay sweetheart. Tell me if you want me to stop, yeah?"

Tiffany nodded, and would've muttered similar words back, had Taeyeon not taken the opportunity to finally push deeper into her, making her wince in pain. But Taeyeon was there, pressing gentle kisses behind her ear and mumbling reassurances into it, until the hot, sharp pain finally subsided and they were then locked together. Not completely sure on what she needed to do next, Taeyeon closed her eyes and let instinct take over, using Tiffany's reactions to guide her movements until a pressurised feeling began to build up in her lower abdomen, a feeling she had never felt before but that felt quite indescribably amazing.

For you see, through all of Taeyeon's past ruts, even the very first few, she had shown a quite frankly incredible amount of self-restraint, something quite unheard of in teenage wolf-bloods. For during puberty, sex-drive for wolf-bloods was known to often get a little out of control. And yet Taeyeon had never had this problem before, that is of course, until she had met Tiffany. And yet, it wasn't as if she had _never_ touched herself before. It was just that, more often than not, she had failed to see the appeal, and as she had grown older, and as to had the dysphoria she had felt during every rut over the addition of her extra appendage, she had found it increasingly easier to restrain herself from engaging in such activities, choosing instead to just ride out the discomfort. As a result therefore, Taeyeon had little experience in the area of such feelings, and now that she was in the previously unknown position of rutting into her mate, the sensations it was providing her with was something quite alien, and thus considerably overwhelming.

And soon enough, a feeling began building up in the pit of her stomach, a feeling like a spring, coiled and bunched up, getting closer and closer to breaking point. Feeling that she had a duty to tell Tiffany what she thought was about to happen, she bunched her hands into fists around the blankets of her nest and mumbled breathlessly in her ear.

"Tiffany, I'm..."

Tiffany clung tighter to Taeyeon's shoulders and buried her face in Taeyeon's neck, as she felt her Alpha tense up, preparing for what was about to come.

"I know Taeyeon-ah, I know."

Taeyeon squeezed her eyes tight shut and bit down hard on her lip, hard enough to draw blood, as she finally let go what she had long been holding back. It lasted quite a while, longer than Taeyeon had anticipated, but judging by the way Tiffany was still clinging tight to her shoulders after she was finally done, it seemed that she wasn't going to let Taeyeon go without getting her own release. So she kept going until she felt Tiffany dig her fingernails hard into the back of her neck and shudder against her. And a few seconds later the tension in Taeyeon's pelvis loosened, and they were finally able to pull apart from each other.

Taeyeon immediately rolled off of Tiffany but reached out for her hand and tugged her close, holding her as she let out heavy, laboured breaths, feeling her body slowly begin to revert back to normal. Tiffany herself, after a moment's pause, moved closer to Taeyeon's shoulder, liking Taeyeon's warmth as equally to the fact that she wanted to hold her. For Tiffany loved that Taeyeon was so protective of her, even in situations where she wasn't in any danger. For it just made her all the more certain that Taeyeon really did love her back.

And although the urge from the heat within her was now finally sated, another wanting feeling was starting to rise up within her, a feeling of wanting Taeyeon's commitment to her set out in flesh and blood. She wanted Taeyeon to bite her. Looking up at her Alpha, she saw that Taeyeon had collapsed back against the blankets of her nest, her eyes closed as if she had fallen asleep. Although despite this appearance of fatigue, she still had her arm locked protectively around her waist, keeping her close.

"Taeyeon..." she mumbled, and Taeyeon shifted slightly before opening her eyes to look at her.

"Hmm?"

"Would you...?"

Taeyeon frowned and cocked her head to the side, confused, and Tiffany gestured vaguely towards her neck and then bit at the air. Taeyeon's eyes widened in realisation, and Tiffany watched her as she considered it, running her tongue lightly across her teeth. But then Taeyeon adamantly shook her head.

"No. We can't."

Tiffany looked surprised.

"Why not?"

"Because sweetheart, everyone will be able to see it won't they?" Taeyeon explained, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Tiffany's ear. "And it's not like you can cover it up. What would Nichkhun do if you went back up there with a bloodied mating bite on your neck?"

Tiffany bit her lip, her cheeks colouring as she realised how far the heat, and mating with Taeyeon, had effected her. That she hadn't even considered the fact that she would have to go back to normal life as a Gwangju after this. She had just wanted Taeyeon to claim her as her own, right there and then.

"Yeah... you're right. I'm sorry."

Taeyeon smiled and tilted Tiffany's chin up with her thumb and forefinger, so that she could press a firm kiss to her lips.

"Your Omega bossing you about hmm?"

Tiffany scoffed and nudged Taeyeon's shoulder lightly.

"Shut it, Alpha."

"You're still my mate though. You don't need my bite to tell you that."

"I know that Taeyeon-ah. It's just... you know what they say about mating bites. Once you have one, you're bonded for life. And y'know, I... quite like the sound of that."

Taeyeon smiled and reached for Tiffany's hand, rubbing her thumb gently across the back of her knuckles.

"One day Tiffany, we'll be free to be open as mates, open about showing the world that we belong to someone special. And then you can wear my bite as proud as you like."

"And you mine?" 

"Of course."

Tiffany smiled back at this, and rubbed her nose up against Taeyeon's playfully, who then scrunched hers up, like a puppy who had just gotten splashed. A yawn then broke her expression, and Tiffany grinned.

"Feeling sleepy hmm, Alpha?"

"Shh..." Taeyeon mumbled, pressing a finger to Tiffany's lips before she slumped back against the blankets of the nest and fell into a drowsy stupor, just on the edge of sleep. Tiffany smiled at the sight of her, and gently pulled the blankets more closely over them, so that they wouldn't get cold, then snuggled up to Taeyeon's side and closed her eyes.


	10. Trust In Me

Nichkhun's face remained still and impassive, as he drew the ritual knife across the base of his hand, just below the thumb, and let the blood drip down to pool in his palm. For the best part of the last few months he had been up in the northern territories, assimilating with the wolf-bloods up there, who he had known had a reputation for being wild and unpredictable. And such a trait was in fact, ideally suited for his purposes, but it did make it so that he had had to work his way up to gain their trust. And right now, he was finally about to seal the deal.

The Alphas conducting the ceremony, Hyunwoo and Yongguk, were both watching Nichkhun intensely, their steely dark eyes tracking his every movement. Making sure not to show any apprehension on his face at being watched so closely, Nichkhun raised his hand above the bowl of fire and moonstones and dropped his blood into it, hearing it sizzle menacingly as it hit the flames and watching it as it stained the pure white stones an ugly dark red. And finally, he opened his mouth to give his request for the blood ritual.

"To all packs in attendance, wild warriors of the north. With my blood, given freely and at will, I do profess an alliance, blood brothers at kin, to rise up and defeat those which have taken control of this land unjustly. For may my blood spilled, be a prophecy for theirs to come."

At this, Hyunwoo grinned, showing his canines, and stepped forward to take Nichkhun's hand in his own and shake it vigorously, seemingly not minding blood that Nichkhun inevitably smeared over the back of his hand.

"You're a dedicated Alpha. Your pack must be proud."

Yongguk nodded also at this.

"Rest assured, you have the support of my pack in your endeavours. For oh how long it has been, since I properly spilled the blood of those well-deserved of punishment."

"Blood to spill shall be plentiful, that I can promise." Nichkhun replied, and Yongguk's mouth twisted into a cruel smile.

Wrapping his hand in a strip of white cloth, which stained red almost immediately, Nichkhun hoisted his travel pack back onto his shoulders and turned to face the small pack of Alphas that had attended to observe his ritual bond.

"Soon my brothers, I shall be calling upon you. Although I have others to recruit first."

"Then let us not stand in your way." Hyunwoo answered.

Raising his blood stained and cloth-wrapped hand to the air, clenched into a fist, Hyunwoo and Yongguk did the same, keeping it there until Nichkhun had turned and run off, heading back down towards the south. Yongguk dropped his hand first and, with a slight snap in his tone, dismissed his fellow pack members, so that he was alone with Hyunwoo, who's own pack followed suit.

"What of him?" he asked Hyunwoo.

Hyunwoo was quiet for a moment, considering his answer carefully.

"I believe he may be quite apt for our purposes. As you know, I have no interest in the territory wars of the south. But such a war as he is suggesting is something I have found to be quite absent in recent years. We shall humour him, for as long as he is useful. For let it be known to you now, that our packs shall not be ruled by any breed of the south."

Yongguk's lip curled into a smile.

"I'd just like to see him try."

***

"Can I ask you something?"

Taeyeon glanced over at Tiffany as she pulled her shirt back on and began doing up the buttons, to see that she was watching her get dressed, still wrapped up in the blankets of her nest. Smiling, she reached for her trousers and nodded.

"Anything you want sweetheart."

Tiffany didn't reply for a moment, enjoying just taking in the image of Taeyeon as she got dressed. Because when it really came down to it, Taeyeon was one of the most attractive Alphas Tiffany had ever met. Her proportions, bone structure, muscle structure, everything. Everything was perfect, and she could hardly believe sometimes that she was really hers.

"Well, I was just wondering." she eventually started, as Taeyeon pulled up her second trouser leg. "What happens to your... y'know. After the rut?"

Taeyeon's face turned pink with slight embarrassment, and she looked away from Tiffany as she distracted herself from answering by buttoning up her trousers.

"Um, well. It sort of... goes back inside."

"So..." Tiffany mused, a mischievously curious expression on her face which Taeyeon chose to ignore as she began searching for her socks. "If we were to do this not during the rut... would it be more..."

Taeyeon paused slightly at Tiffany's hesitation.

"Normal?" Taeyeon proffered.

Tiffany nodded.

"Yeah."

"I suppose it would be. Although, of course you know that um, I've never actually done anything not on the rut. I don't usually feel the need outside of it."

Tiffany lent her chin on her hand.

"Really? That's interesting, for an Alpha."

"Well, as you know, I've never been that good at being an Alpha."

Tiffany frowned at this, not liking that Taeyeon's default reaction to anything still seemed to be self-doubt and deprecation.

"Well... maybe there's more than one way to be a good Alpha, and you're just not doing it the right way for you yet." she proffered, and Taeyeon scoffed slightly, although not in an unkind way.

"I don't know about that sweetheart. An Alpha's an Alpha right?"

Tiffany smirked slightly.

"Well whatever you say, you _certainly_ are."

Taeyeon frowned slightly.

"How'd you mean?"

"Um..."

Tiffany bit her lip, trying to backtrack, for she hadn't intended for her words to come out quite like that, particularly in that sort of tone.

"Um- what I meant was... I wasn't sure how you were going to handle tonight. I didn't know if you'd freak out, or run away, or... I don't know. I was worried about you Taeyeon. Because you're... sweet, and awkward, and far too nice for your own good. And you're so, so different to the concept of what an Alpha is that I've had all my life. And I like that. I like that you're different. And I didn't want tonight to upset you, or to change anything. But you handled it amazingly. And I know that you won't believe me when I say it, but you've already shown me that you can be a great Alpha."

Taeyeon gave her a considerate sort of look, before she smiled, a proper, genuine smile at that, which Tiffany was pleased to see. She then sat down on the edge of Tiffany's nest and took her hand within her own, kissing the back of it courteously, much to Tiffany's amusement.

"Thank you. For saying those things, and for being here with me. I know I should really be the one looking after you, but... it means a lot, having someone to look after me too."

"That's the problem with you Alphas." Tiffany said, nudging Taeyeon's shoulder with her closed fist. "You spend so much time trying to figure out how you look after as many people as possible, that you forget that you need looking after too. And there's no shame in that. It's what Omegas are supposed to do anyway, look after their Alphas."

Taeyeon smiled and cupped Tiffany's cheek in her hand before kissing her gently, and nosing gently at her jaw once they broke apart.

"Is it okay for me to leave now?" she mumbled, as if suggestive that she didn't really want to leave at all.

"Of course it is, Alpha. Just don't stay away too long this time, you hear?"

"I'll try." Taeyeon said, pressing one last kiss to Tiffany's cheek before straightening up.

By the time Taeyeon poked her head out of the door to Tiffany's hut, she could see that it was early morning, a little after dawn. The village was deathly silent, with everyone still inside sleeping, and so Taeyeon decided to make a break for the forest before she lost her nerve, not wanting to push her luck with the Gwangjus quite yet.

"Taeyeon- wait."

Taeyeon stopped short at the edge of the forest, her heart jumping into her throat, as someone grabbed hold of her wrist, tugging her back gently. Turning around to see Yoona, she calmed down slightly, although was still a little annoyed at her for the abrupt way that she had stopped her.

"What?" she asked, a little impatiently.

"There's something I need to tell you."

Taeyeon glanced nervously over her shoulder before turning back to Yoona.

"Make it quick."

Yoona bit her lip slightly, as if she were feeling guilty about what she had to tell Taeyeon.

"Um, well, when you and Tiffany were down in her nest, I was keeping guard, to make sure nobody got too close if they happened to come back early. And well... Luhan almost got in, he caught your scent I think. I managed to stop him but... I had to tell him. About you."

Taeyeon's eyes widened and Yoona quickly interjected before she could say anything.

"He promised he wouldn't tell. In fact, he said he wanted to help."

Taeyeon gave Yoona an uncertain look.

"How do you know he won't just betray Tiffany to Nichkhun whenever it's convenient to him?"

Yoona gave an impatient sigh, and began chewing her lip nervously.

"Look. I wasn't going to tell you this but... Luhan, he's liked Tiffany for a long time, and he's always hated Nichkhun for the attention he puts on her. So I can assure you, not only does he have her best interests at heart, but he will definitely not betray her to Nichkhun."

Taeyeon's uncertain look morphed into a frown.

"He likes her?" 

Yoona rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on Alpha. She loves _you_ , remember? And she's hardly going to drop all that for a Beta she barely even acknowledges, not after all she's risked to be with you."

Taeyeon gave a slightly awkward, embarrassed smile at this.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right."

Yoona grinned, and reached a hand out to ruffle Taeyeon's hair.

"Now go on you. Tiffany will never forgive me if I'm the reason you get caught."

Taeyeon nodded and turned swiftly on her heel to run off into the forest, quickly disappearing from sight in amongst the shadows of the tightly packed trees. Yoona inhaled heavily, trying to work out if Taeyeon's scent was still discernible, and was eventually satisfied that any trace of her that might be left, was far too weak to sense out, or if it was, not enough to make a positive identification of a Jeolla from. And so with one last glance back at the forest, she turned around and headed back down to the Omega huts.

***

Jessica scowled silently to herself, her eyes fixed on the entrance to the Alpha hall. She had been waiting for Yuri to come out for the best part of twenty minutes now, having not wanted to stride into a place she wasn't technically allowed to be in anyway, and least of all, make a scene. But eventually her patience was rewarded, as Yuri exited the hall not a minute later, laughing with another Alpha, Kai, before they said their goodbyes and split off in different directions.

"Yah, Kwon Yuri."

Yuri looked up as Jessica called out her full name, striding towards her with intent and purpose. She made to smile at her, to ask her how she was, but before she could do either, Jessica jabbed a finger at her chest and started questioning her.

"Where is Taeyeon?"

Yuri was slightly taken aback by Jessica's whole tone and demeanour, but she answered quickly enough, having made it a habit of lying on Taeyeon's behalf, whenever she was out visiting Tiffany. 

"I told you, she's-"

"On her rut? Yes, you might've mentioned it."

The scathing nature of Jessica's voice, almost accusatory in tone, made Yuri take a nervous step back, raising her hands slightly as if in an attempt to calm the Beta down.

"Hey, Sica, it's okay. You don't have to-"

"Don't avoid the question. I want answers Yuri, and I know that you have them. Because I just feel like every other day Taeyeon is either hunting, or on a run, or taking an errand, or she's just plain missing with no explanation whatsoever. So tell me, what's going on?"

Yuri looked away from Jessica guiltily, not wanting to withhold anything from her but knowing also that she wouldn't betray Taeyeon's secret for anything.

"I... I can't, Sica. I promised her I wouldn't."

Jessica frowned, giving Yuri the hardest stare she could muster.

"I thought you trusted me Yuri. I thought I could tell you anything, and you'd do the same in turn. But it seems as if I was sorely mistaken."

"Please Jessica, listen to me." Yuri interjected, practically begging. For the last thing she wanted to do was upset the woman she had quite unwittingly, begun to grow an increasingly strong attraction for. "It's not my place to go telling anybody and everybody about Taeyeon's secrets. If she doesn't want me to tell you, then I can't tell you."

"But I'm not _anybody_ Yuri. I've known the two of you almost as long as you've known each other. And I know you've got that whole Alpha bond going on, but you're not the only one who cares about her. She's my pack leader too, as well as my friend and I'm worried about her. If she's in trouble, I want to help."

Yuri sighed, exasperated, trying to figure out a way that she could keep both Taeyeon's secret safe and stop Jessica from getting annoyed with her lack of personal disclosure.

"Look. How about I ask her about it? And if she wants to tell you, then I'll get her to tell you. But you have to understand that I can't control Taeyeon, not like I used to do when we were kids. I know she might seem a bit hopeless sometimes, but she's getting a lot better at dealing with stuff on her own. And trust me she's... got a lot on her plate right now."

Jessica continued to stare Yuri down, considering this proposal carefully, before she eventually relaxed and sighed in resignation.

"Alright. I'll drop it."

Yuri breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you."

"But you... are going to have to start getting better at lying, if you're not going to open up to me."

"Jessica I'm sorry, I never want to keep anything from you. It's just that this... it's not my information to give away."

Jessica gave her a sceptical look before she jerked her head over to the mountainside.

"Well about we have a chat now? You tell me some of your secrets and if I'm feeling generous, I might part with some of mine."

Yuri paused for the briefest of moments, before she all too readily agreed to this plan.

"Okay."

Jessica immediately turned to head up towards the mountainside, but just before she left, she turned back to face Yuri and, for the first time in a long time as far as Yuri could recall, shot her a genuine smile. And for a moment she was struck dumb, staring after the beautiful Beta girl as she made her way to the mountainside, before finally running after her, as if she were the only thing she ever wanted to pursue for the rest of her life.

***

"Tiffany? Are you okay?"

Yoona pressed her ear up against the door to Tiffany's nest, waiting for an answer but not getting one. She was worried again for her fellow Omega, for two reasons mainly. One being that she hadn't mentioned Taeyeon hardly at all since her heat had ended, and two, for almost the whole of this last week, she had resigned herself back to her nest for most of the day, and today in particular, had chosen to not even come up for meals.

"Please Tiffany. You don't have to tell me what's wrong, just please let me in. Let me take care you. I can't sit back in good conscience and just let you isolate yourself like this."

There was an extended silence where Yoona just pressed her hands up against the door, willing Tiffany to take notice of her words, before she heard a slight shuffling and then, a few seconds after that, the sound of the door being unlocked from the inside. Upon cautiously pushing the door open, she saw that Tiffany had scurried back to her nest, moping around under the blankets, the very picture of despondence.

Without saying a word, Yoona knelt down next to Tiffany and brought her head to rest on her lap, gently stroking through her hair, as Tiffany stared at nothing, her glassy eyes fixed on the wall but not seeing it. For a long time they sat like that, Yoona trying her best to calm the distressed Tiffany, before Tiffany eventually mumbled something almost inaudible.

"Something's happened Yoona. Something bad."

Yoona looked down at her, quizzically.

"What Fany-ah? What's happened?"

Tiffany looked up at Yoona, her eyes wide and round, and shining with unshed tears. And when she next spoke, it was with a barely controlled waver in her voice.

"Please, help me. I don't know what to do..."

And before she'd barely managed to finish her sentence, she started crying, clinging to Yoona's lap and trying, without success, to keep herself from sobbing.

"Hey... hey now, it's okay, it's okay."

Yoona held Tiffany as she cried, waiting until she had calmed down enough to look up at her, at which point she cupped her face in her hands and forced her to keep her eyes on her. 

"Just start from the beginning, okay?" she started, trying gently to coax an answer out of Tiffany. "Tell me exactly what's wrong."

And so Tiffany told her.

***

Over these last few weeks, Taeyeon had felt a distinct change in the feeling of their bond, and not necessarily a bad one. For it was indeed more comforting, more secure, and made Taeyeon smile whenever she focused on it. But with these changes, there was also something else, something added, something subtle yes, but definitely there where it hadn't been before. And so today's meeting had been of unusual importance for Taeyeon, for it was today that she wanted to find out exactly what was bothering her mate.

She reached the river perhaps a little earlier than usual, but it was not unheard for Tiffany to be there before her anyway, although she wasn't this time. For there was no doubt that Tiffany took their extended periods apart a lot harder than Taeyeon did, particularly as Taeyeon always had the business of being pack leader to distract herself with. And so more often than not, Taeyeon was always second to arrive at their little river-side rendezvouses.

But as more and more time passed, Taeyeon began to get increasingly impatient and perhaps a little concerned, as she began pacing with agitation, eventually resorting to skipping stones across the water to try and dispel her nervous energy. But just as she was about to concede to the fact that Tiffany wasn't coming tonight and to head back home, a slight movement from across the river caught her eye, and a few seconds later, something broke through the trees and into view.

It was a wolf-blood, she could tell from the way they were holding themselves, but it was a man, so decidedly not Tiffany. Her hackles immediately raised, she observed him critically. He was about average height, with pale skin and soft, wavy light hair, although it was stuck slightly to his forehead with sweat. His clothes were unimpressionable, a grey hoodie and blue jeans, with rips here and there, and he was quite apparently very nervous.

"Who goes there?" Taeyeon called out, and he froze, making eye contact with her across the river. 

The young man raised his hands defensively, a gesture of surrender, and Taeyeon eyed him suspiciously, for she could tell immediately, even from across the river, from his sweat-enhanced scent that he was a Gwangju. She watched as he picked his way across the river, sticking to the rocks wherever he could, and eventually stopped short not two metres away from her.

"Who are you?" Taeyeon asked, impassive and unforgiving in her tone.

"Um, hey. I'm Luhan? Yoona's... accomplice, I suppose."

Taeyeon visibly relaxed slightly, although she still looked disgruntled.

"Yeah, she told me. What do you want?"

"Well, uh, Yoona was going to come tonight and meet with you, but she had to stay with Tiffany. She wants you to come down to the village tonight, meet her in her nest."

Taeyeon raised her head, alarmed.

"Why? What's the matter with her?"

"I... she couldn't really say. But what she did say for sure, was that she wanted you with her. She wouldn't let it go."

"Isn't it too risky?"

Luhan shrugged slightly, as a sort of non-committal yes.

"Me and Yoona will try our best to get you in unnoticed. But if you don't think it's worth the risk, then I can go back and tell her so. I'm sure she wouldn't hold it against you."

Taeyeon shook her head.

"No, I'll come, if that's what she wants."

Luhan nodded and together the two of them crossed back over the river and began a slow run back to the Gwangju village. Neither of them spoke a word on the way back, Luhan mainly due to intimidation, and Taeyeon because, despite Yoona's assurances, still didn't completely trust not particularly like Luhan, and his involvement in their secret. Although, she supposed, it would probably be more of a help than a hindrance to have a Beta on their side.

With the pace they were setting, they reached the outskirts of the Gwangju village in less than an hour, and Luhan stopped her with a cautious arm, which Taeyeon noticed was trembling slightly. And with that, the first recesses of guilt began to creep into her mind, that she might be being just a bit too hard on Luhan. For after all, he was risking himself as well, so that her and Tiffany could be together, and really she ought to appreciate such a thing more than she was right now.

Luhan left her waiting for a good few minutes at the edge of the woods, almost long enough for her to begin thinking once more that he might actually be betraying the two of them, before he came hurrying back, looking nervous.

"Okay, we've managed to get you a window. Just head straight over to Tiffany's hut and don't stop. I'll shadow you all the way in case anyone comes over."

Taeyeon nodded and then paused just before she went.

"Um, thanks Luhan. For keeping this secret. I know it can't be easy, protecting the Alpha of another pack like this."

Luhan shrugged.

"If it's to help an Omega, I'll do anything."

Not trusting herself to respond to this, Taeyeon ran out from the edge of the forest and made straight for the Omega huts, doing exactly what Luhan had told her to do. Yoona was waiting by the door to usher her in, looking more nervous and worried than she had ever seen somebody look before.

"What's wrong with her? Did she say?"

Yoona shook her head.

"You're going to have to ask her yourself."

Taeyeon nodded and made for the door to Tiffany's nest, while Yoona called over her shoulder that she would keep watch at the entrance to the hut. Hurrying down the stairs, anxious to find out what was wrong with her Omega, Taeyeon spotted her immediately, although she could only really see the back of her head, as the rest of her body was curled up under a mound of blankets. 

"Hey, are you... okay?"

There was a moment's pause, before Tiffany glanced up at Taeyeon from her position, curled up and huddled under the blankets in her nest. And the pulsing ball of concern in Taeyeon's chest only grew worse, as she knelt down beside her mate, desperate to know what was wrong and how she could help.

"Fany-ah... what's wrong?"

Tiffany let out a small noise, which sounded oddly similar to that of the mewing of a kitten, and buried her face away from Taeyeon in her blankets, a clear sign that she wanted to retain some distance between them, despite her desire of wanting Taeyeon there with her. Feeling more than a little confused, but respecting of Tiffany's boundaries, Taeyeon backed off from her mate and retreated to the corner to watch Tiffany instead.

And eventually Tiffany did come out from under her blankets, although she avoiding looking directly at Taeyeon, as she began shifting around, this way and that, clearly distressed by something, although Taeyeon couldn't for the life of her, begin to understand what.

Taeyeon watched Tiffany intently as she began pawing at the pile of blankets underneath her, turning in circles and letting out small, frustrated whines, as it seemed she wasn't getting the results she wanted. Taeyeon cocked her head to the side, confused by Tiffany's behaviour. It was the sort of thing Omegas did when they were about to start their heat, but of course, Tiffany's heat had long since passed by. So, could it- could it possibly be...?

And as Tiffany left the pile of blankets to begin searching round the room, perhaps looking for a better place to settle herself, Taeyeon finally lost the battle with herself to leave her mate alone, needing to know as a matter of urgency what was troubling her. Straightening up, Taeyeon strode towards Tiffany and wrapped her arms around the lower part of her torso, causing her to stop all movement very suddenly, and began nosing at the part of her neck with her scent gland. Tiffany tensed up slightly, her breathing becoming shallower, as Taeyeon inhaled heavily.

"Your scent is different." she mumbled against her neck, and her hands moved to Tiffany's abdomen, running her fingers across the smooth plain of her stomach. "Are you...?"

Tiffany's eyes were wide as she looked over her shoulder up at Taeyeon, her bottom lip becoming entrapped by her teeth as she bit down hard, nervously. Taeyeon moved a hand up from Tiffany's abdomen and swiped her thumb across her lip, releasing it from her grip. She then cupped Tiffany's cheek in her hand and kissed her, which surprised Tiffany, as it was an unusually sweet gesture for such a moment. Although of course, if everything she had ever observed about Taeyeon was to be believed, Taeyeon was far gone from your typical Alpha anyway. 

"Don't worry jagiya..." Taeyeon whispered, nosing behind Tiffany's ear gently. "It's okay. You can tell me."

Tiffany swallowed hard as Taeyeon pulled away from her neck and picked up her gaze once more, her eyes gentle and caring, but still no less intense, urging her to tell. And so she did, turning in Taeyeon's arms so that she was facing her, before nodding. Taeyeon didn't react visibly to the confirmation of her suspicions, but Tiffany sensed a change in her, her scent also transforming slightly, subtly, to one of a more intense protectiveness over her.

"Does Yoona know?" she asked, which Tiffany answered with a timid nod, still slightly shy about looking Taeyeon in the eyes again.

And so instead, she buried her face in Taeyeon's chest, hugging her tightly and closing her eyes, as Taeyeon instinctively began to run her hand gently through her hair, the other wrapped securely around her waist. Her eyes were fixed on a part of the wall behind Tiffany, as she tried to get her head round what she had just told her. Of course she had known that this could and would've happened at some point, after one mating season or another, but for it to happen after the very first? Was she even ready for that sort of responsibility? 

Eventually however, it was Tiffany that broke Taeyeon out of these thoughts. For Taeyeon could feel all too strongly the tension in her shoulders, and could smell the anxiety in her scent. Her poor Omega. For of course, she was probably more terrified of the reality of this than Taeyeon ever could be. Taeyeon nipped the corner of Tiffany's ear gently and then soothed it with her mouth, trying to reassure her Omega. That no matter what happened, she would always protect her, and the pup inside her, with all her heart and soul.

"Don't be scared." she whispered in her ear. "I'll look after you."

Tiffany frowned, evidently not reassured, or at least not completely.

"I can't stay here Taeyeon. My scent... they'll _know_."

Taeyeon frowned, annoyed and more than a little frightened that another instance had come up in which she didn't know how to best protect her Omega. For she was right, Tiffany couldn't have it here. Quite apart from others finding out, if an Omega got too stressed during pregnancy, Taeyeon knew from previous observation that it could have disastrous results on the pup.

"Don't worry." she repeated, trying to suppress her own anxiety so that Tiffany couldn't tell. "I'll think of something. I'll find us a good place, I promise."

She tucked her index and middle finger gently under Tiffany's chin and titled her head upwards, smiling at her before pressing another soft kiss to her lips.

"Nothing less for my mate."

Tiffany's own face broke into a smile at these words, and she wrapped her arms around Taeyeon's neck to best kiss her again. Taeyeon all too readily kissed her back, wrapping her arms securely round her waist, wanting to make sure that she felt completely reassured, and that she knew that no matter what, she would be there for her.

"Are you okay now?" Taeyeon mumbled into her hair, as they settled into a more relaxed hug, Tiffany's head resting on her shoulder. "Do you want me to stay?"

Tiffany was silent for a moment before she let out a heavy exhale, and shook her head.

"No, you should get back. It's dangerous enough you being here as it is."

Taeyeon nodded and they hugged for another few seconds, getting the most out of the very short time they had had together tonight, before Taeyeon pulled away and smiled at Tiffany, her hands resting lightly on her shoulders.

"Don't worry, okay? We'll work it out together."

Tiffany nodded, and kissed the corner of Taeyeon's mouth as she pulled her hand away from hers gently. She went up the stairs first, to check that the coast was clear for Taeyeon's exit, but barely a second or two after she had opened the door, did Yoona come hurrying into the hut, a terrified look on her face.

"Yoona? What's the matter?"

"It's Nichkhun." Yoona said, practically tripping over her words. "He's back."

"Shit-" Tiffany mumbled, pushing back against Taeyeon, who was just behind her on the stairs. "Back up, back up."

Taeyeon did as told and moved back down into the basement, eyeing Tiffany warily.

"What's wrong?"

"Fucking Nichkhun." Tiffany answered. "He's been gone _months_ , and he chooses now, literally _now_ of all times, to come back..."

Swallowing hard out of nerves, Taeyeon watched Tiffany pace back and forth anxiously around her nest, before she spun round and grabbed hold of Taeyeon's wrist.

"Taeyeon." she muttered, her tone one of anguished panic, as she clung tight to Taeyeon's wrist, as if searching for strength from her. "What do I do? My scent..."

Taeyeon, sensing the need for her to say something to calm her mate down, asked her the first thing that came into her head.

"Have you got any scent blocker?"

"Uh... yeah, I do. But I've never really used it. He might find it suspicious."

"Better that than the alternative." Taeyeon reasoned.

Tiffany nodded, realising that Taeyeon was right, and went over to the corner of her nest in which Taeyeon then noticed, a small alcove had been carved into the wall. Reaching inside, Tiffany pulled out a small bottle, which could easily have been mistaken for perfume. Tipping a small amount onto her hands, she rubbed it all across her neck, coating the scent glands in what she hoped was enough to cover up any scent that she might be giving off, that would allude to Nichkhun that something was off. Taking care not to touch her and transfer any of her scent onto her, Taeyeon inhaled deeply against Tiffany's neck and then nodded, satisfied that the scent blocker was doing it's job.

"You're all good. I can barely get anything."

Tiffany nodded, and then had to stop herself from giving Taeyeon a goodbye kiss.

"Stay hidden okay? I'll come back for you as soon as it's safe."

Taeyeon promised that she would, and watched Tiffany as she hurried up the stairs of the basement, and listened to the resounding click of the door being locked from the outside. Obeying Tiffany's command, Taeyeon settled herself down in the nest, burying herself under the blankets to best conceal herself, and feeling comforted by the warm scent of her Omega, which was ingrained into every fibre of the blankets and clothes surrounding her.

***

By the time Tiffany reached the central courtyard, the initial greetings had since subsided, and Nichkhun was over with his pack of senior Alphas, discussing the results of his latest trip up north, in a tone far from quiet and reserved. Evidently he was not intending for this to be a secret. Tiffany herself, joined the other Omegas, hoping to blend in with them and stay as unnoticeable to Nichkhun as possible.

"What's going on?" she mumbled in Yoona's ear.

"He's talking about some alliance he's made. I don't know what for." Yoona mumbled back, then after a pause, asked; "What's with Taeyeon?"

"She's still in the nest. I locked the door, but we need to make sure no Alpha gets anywhere near there, and then get her out as fast as we can."

Yoona nodded.

"I'll try and think up a distraction, get Luhan to help me if I can."

Tiffany reached across and squeezed Yoona's hand, trying to transmit her thanks in a way that was as unrevealing as possible, so as not to attract any attention to their conversation. For although it wasn't suspicious for two Omegas to be having a conversation together, it was quite often the case that one of the Alphas would insert themselves into the chat and demand to know what they were talking about, or else break it off entirely.

Although looking at the Alphas now, she felt a slight twinge of hope go off in her chest, for they all seemed happy and in good spirits, although thinking about why this might be made her feel a little less hopeful. For if what Yoona had overheard was true, then the Gwangjus were making alliances, and Tiffany could only dread for what this could mean.

As the night continued, Tiffany managed to, quite miraculously, stay unnoticed by Nichkhun, although whether this was to do with her scent blocker or her consistent efforts to avoid him at every moment (or perhaps a little bit of both) she couldn't help but feel relieved, knowing that it was the last thing she would've wanted to deal with right now.

And eventually, as was the way with Gwangju Alphas when they had something to celebrate, they had broken into the beer reserves and were steadily getting more and more drunk, their jokes and antics increasing in intensity as they did so. And it was in amongst this chaos, that Yoona finally found her once more, taking her hand and pulling the two of them out of sight so that they could talk.

"Okay so, me and Luhan haven't been able to think up a plan for right now, but what I have done is thought of one for your... situation."

"Pray tell." Tiffany encouraged her.

"Well, I was thinking about it, and I thought that what with the current circumstances, this might be the ideal time for us to say that we're going on an Omega retreat."

Tiffany's eyes widened, not out of disbelief but rather out of a strange sort of optimistic hope. For thinking about it now, an Omega retreat was the perfect excuse. And with Nichkhun in the good mood that he was, well, it was entirely possible that it might just work.

"That's genius Yoona."

"Indeed. Although... there is the strong possibility that we might need to tell the rest of the Omegas that... well, you're, y'know."

Tiffany considered this for a moment.

"Well... do you know a single one of them that doesn't at least hate Nichkhun a little bit?"

Yoona thought about this and smiled.

"I can't say that I do."

"Then I think we'll be okay."

"For now though, what are we doing about our Taeyeon situation?"

"Well, clearly the Alphas aren't going to be turning in for a long time. We've all seen how they get when they're celebrating. So we'll just have to wait until they're finally drunk enough that they pass out, and then sneak her out then."

"You think she can wait that long? Because who knows how long that might take."

"Well... there's not really any other option."

Yoona conceded to this, nodding.

"I guess you're right. But I suppose... we could speed up the 'getting the Alphas drunk' phase?"

Tiffany grinned.

"That sounds like a plan I can get behind."


	11. Conflicts Of Interest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in update, quarantine lethargy is really hitting hard :)

"Yah, Alpha."

Taeyeon frowned slightly, still drowsy from sleep, as she felt something jab at her shoulder, and a mostly whispered conversation reached her ears, further dragging her out of the recesses of her previous unconsciousness. 

"Don't _kick_ her."

"I didn't, it was a nudge!"

"How would you like it if I kicked you to wake you up?"

"But I'm a soft, sweet Omega. Alphas need tough love."

"Look, just stand there and shut up will you?"

Taeyeon smiled slightly to herself, as she felt someone kneel down close to her and shake her shoulder gently, knowing already that it was Tiffany.

"Taeyeon-ah?"

"Hmm..." she mumbled back, sleepily.

"Com'n, wake up. We need to get you out of here."

Grumbling slightly, as she had actually been quite enjoying her sleep until Yoona had kicked her awake, Taeyeon stretched out the muscles in her arms and shoulders, and glanced at the watch on her left wrist.

"What took you so long, it's been hours."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Yoona commented, as Tiffany helped Taeyeon up out of the nest. "We had to get all the Alphas drunk first. And complain about them all you want, but they sure can put away the pints."

"Part of our genes I suppose." Taeyeon commented, somewhat jokingly. "Are you sure it's safe?"

"Positive." Yoona assured her. "You could waltz right into Nichkhun's hut and stand on the end of his bed-frame, and he wouldn't even know you were there."

"Though please don't do that." Tiffany added, a little nervously, as if genuinely worried that Taeyeon might try it.

"Don't worry sweetheart, I'm not that much of a risk-taker."

Tiffany smiled at her and reached for Taeyeon's hand, leading her up and out of the nest as Yoona followed them, and then bid them goodnight, heading for the safety and comfort of her own bed. The village itself was deathly quiet, the mess from that night's celebrations spread out all over the central courtyard, and the two of them walked in companionable silence over to the edge of the forest, not confident enough to risk talking anywhere near the possible hearing of any Gwangjus.

"Are you okay?" Taeyeon asked, taking gentle hold of Tiffany's wrist and rubbing her thumb around it in soft circles. "He didn't... do anything to you, did he?"

Tiffany shook her head.

"No, no. I tried to keep away from him as much as I could, and he didn't come looking for me, thank God."

Taeyeon nodded, reassured by this, but still looked worried, which Tiffany noticed immediately, as Taeyeon was quite possibly the worst person Tiffany had ever met at hiding her emotions.

"Yah, Alpha, what's wrong?"

Taeyeon looked away from her Omega, teeth sinking down into her lip nervously before she managed to force her gaze upwards once more. 

"I'm just... I'm scared Tiffany. I'm scared about you. I mean, you- well- we, _we_ have this new responsibility now..." Taeyeon's eyes tracked down to Tiffany's abdomen for a split second, before she hastily raised her gaze once more. "And _this_... this is so much more than just the two of us now. We can't afford to take risks anymore."

Tiffany saw the panic in Taeyeon's eyes as she spoke, even as she tried her best to mask it, and reached forward to grab her hands, squeezing firmly as reassurance.

"Taeyeon-ah... it's okay. We're not going to take any risks we don't need to, alright? This pup is going to be as safe as we can possibly make them, but we can't do miracles. If something doesn't go to plan and danger comes, then we'll have to deal with it. But there's no sense in fretting about it, because if it happens, it'll happen whether you worry about it or not."

Taeyeon dithered for a second or two longer before she sighed and nodded.

"Ara, ara... you're right. As always."

"Hmm... and don't you forget it."

Taeyeon gave a small smile and hugged Tiffany, burrowing her face against her neck, in a way rather non-typical of an Alpha. Although Tiffany was all too happy to oblige in comforting Taeyeon, for she could tell that her mate was greatly in need of reassurance right now.

"It's okay Taeyeon-ah, nothing's going to happen to me, alright?"

Taeyeon nodded and mumbled against her neck.

"Uh huh."

Tiffany ruffled Taeyeon's hair and nudged her back slightly.

"Pabo."

"Yah... don't bully me. Can I not be worried for my mate?"

"Of course you can, but you worry about _everything_ Taeyeon."

Taeyeon pulled a face, that was both annoyance and admittance at the truth of this statement at the same time, and Tiffany laughed, kissing Taeyeon's slightly red cheek.

"Now listen you. Me and Yoona have had an idea about how to deal with... well, y'know."

"Uh huh." Taeyeon replied, prompting her to continue.

"Well, tell me something first. Have you ever heard of an Omega retreat?"

Taeyeon's brow furrowed slightly, as she thought hard about this question.

"Um... vaguely? I think I've heard the term before, but I assume it's something Alphas aren't really involved in?"

Tiffany nodded.

"Exactly. It's basically the one thing that Omegas have complete control over, particularly in packs like ours. They don't happen very often, and when they do, it's usually in response to some sort of event concerning an Omega. A pregnancy perhaps yes, but usually it's to do with some sort of distress or great loss, like an Omega's mate dying. But the good thing about them is, Alphas aren't involved at all, so it's easy to keep the reasoning behind it a secret, if you need to. And they can last as long as you need them to."

"So, you think that if you can convince Nichkhun to let you go on one of these... then you'll be able to keep this all a secret from him?"

Tiffany nodded once more.

"That's the gist of it yes."

Taeyeon cocked her head to the side, considering this for a moment.

"Well, it sounds like the best plan we have right now."

Tiffany noticed, and not for the first time, that Taeyeon had glanced up at the fast approaching dawn with slight agitation, the sunrise just beginning to spread it's golden rays out across the village before them.

"Um, sorry. Do you have to be back now?"

Taeyeon glanced at Tiffany, a little caught off-guard by this comment, before her cheeks reddened slightly and she rubbed the back of her neck with her hand.

"Uh, yeah. It would probably be best."

Tiffany nodded.

"I'll send Luhan to you this evening, to tell you what's happening with the retreat. He'll attract the least attention if anyone notices he's gone missing. And if he says yes, then I'll be busy with the Omegas anyway."

Taeyeon didn't look best pleased by this, but nodded begrudgingly, holding her arms out and pouting, wanting one last hug from her mate before she would no longer be able to protect her. Smiling, Tiffany gladly obliged, hugging Taeyeon tightly and inhaling deeply against her shoulder, trying to commit her scent to memory, to once again hold onto for as long as she could, until they could meet again.

"Don't worry, okay?" Taeyeon said, a murmur against her ear. "I want you to stay safe, _both_ of you. And that means no stress."

Tiffany nodded against Taeyeon's shoulder, and then mumbled her next words into her neck.

"You're so good to me, you know that?"

Taeyeon looked surprised by this comment.

"I am?"

Tiffany nodded again and glanced up at Taeyeon, her eyes wide and filled with honesty.

"You've treated me better than anyone ever has before. I mean, even the Omegas can only do what they can. But you Taeyeon... you've done so much for me. And I need you to know that I appreciate that. That I appreciate _you_ , so, so much."

And for the first time, the first _real_ time since getting together with Tiffany, Taeyeon felt something stir quite suddenly in her chest. It was a feeling impossible to describe, a feeling that writers and poets and artists had, for centuries, tried to capture in their works. It was the beginnings of a feeling that Taeyeon had never thought she would experience, and yet, there it was.

And as Tiffany wrapped her arms around her neck to kiss her, which she of course, responded to immediately, Taeyeon found herself frowning slightly, confused. Because why... why _now_? Why had those simple words, not even particularly strong or meaningful, been the thing that had finally set off the spark, to ignite her feelings for Tiffany past just base attraction? Or perhaps it wasn't the words at all, but rather the fact that Tiffany was so completely trusting of her, and of her ability to keep both her and their pup safe. And that this sort of unconditional adoration from another person onto her, had finally flipped a switch in her brain, and made her realise just how important Tiffany was to her.

And as Tiffany pulled away from her and stepped back, picking up her gaze once more, Taeyeon found herself having to bite her tongue, stopping herself from saying anything out of turn, and instead just smiled at Tiffany.

"See you soon then?"

"Yeah, see you soon. With good news hopefully."

"It's always good news if I'm seeing you."

Tiffany rolled her eyes.

"Charmer."

Leaning forward, she kissed Taeyeon gently once more and then nudged her shoulder with the base of her hand.

"Go on then, be off with you. And take your own advice, okay? Don't stress."

Taeyeon grinned at her.

"With that sort of an order, how could I?"

Tiffany smiled and lent against the nearest tree, to watch Taeyeon as she disappeared into the night, heading back up to the Jeolla border, a journey that by now, she had made more times than was probably sensible for her to have made. But she hadn't been caught yet, and Tiffany could see no reason why she ever would be, so long as they kept on being careful.

Her intention, as soon as she had seen Taeyeon off, had been to head straight to bed and to sleep, but as soon as she had entered her hut, she found herself drawn immediately back down to the nest. Taeyeon's scent was heavy and obvious, and she knew that she would have to wash the blankets to remove them of it, or else otherwise cover up the scent. But for now, she found that all she could do was bury herself in the nest, and in Taeyeon's scent, and fall asleep with it surrounding her.

***

"Taeyeon, there's something I need to ask you."

Taeyeon detected the note of worry in Yuri's tone, and looked up at her cautiously, hoping against hope that it wasn't anything too bad that was causing such concern in her.

"What, what's wrong?"

"Um, nothing's wrong per se..." Yuri started, biting down slightly on her lip. "It's just... well, it's Jessica. She wants to know where you've been going all this time."

"You didn't tell her did you?"

Yuri shook her head immediately.

"Of course not, I told her I couldn't. But I also told her that I would ask you. She really wouldn't leave me alone Taeyeon, I had to give her something."

Taeyeon sat down heavily in one of the chairs opposite the fireplace, and tangled her fingers up in her hair, a gesture indicative, as Yuri had come to learn of her, that she was thinking.

"Well... should I?"

Yuri shrugged. 

"It's not my call to make Taeyeon."

Taeyeon nodded, her brow set into a hard frown, the sort of indiscernible look which Yuri didn't see often. For most of the time, Taeyeon was considerably more free with her thoughts and feelings than the average person, an open book if you will.

"Well, I suppose, if she's so insistent... it couldn't hurt to have one more person in on it. So long as you're sure she wouldn't tell anyone else."

"Oh com'n Taeng, you've known Jessica almost as long as you've known me. Surely you know that she'd never betray your trust. It was that that she was annoyed about actually, the fact that the two of us were keeping secrets from her."

"Well it's not as if it's a secret I ever wanted to have to keep in the first place."

"Regardless, it is one that you _do_ have to keep, and gladly I should hope?"

Taeyeon nodded.

"Of course, of course. Tiffany is... one of the best things that's ever happened to me. It's just... the more people we have to let in on our relationship, the more dangerous it all becomes. And, even if I can't do anything else, I want to everything I can to keep her safe."

"And we will Taeng. Telling Jessica isn't going to compromise the safety of either of you, that I can be absolutely certain of. In fact, if anything, it gives us more room to intervene and help you if needs be."

"I know, I'm just... stressed, is all. At least when it was just me and her, things were more simple. Now if something goes wrong, we're set to drag all of you down with us. The implications alone for a clan war are... not good."

"Hey now, that's not going to happen, okay? And you need to remember that it's a packs job to support their Alpha, in every bit the same way that it's your job to support us. We're here for you Taeyeon, and this is just another thing for us to do."

Taeyeon smiled at Yuri, and punched her shoulder good-naturedly.

"Thanks Yul, for always having my back."

Yuri grinned back, reaching a hand out to mess up Taeyeon's hair playfully.

"I'll always be here for you buddy. No matter what."

***

"Please Yoona, you have to ask him. If I get too close, even with the blocker, he might catch my scent and then what would we do?"

"Look, I know it's a risk, but... you know that he likes you Tiffany, more than any of the rest of us Omegas. And so if anyone can get him to say yes to this retreat, then it's going to be you. I just don't think I could manage it."

Tiffany let out a small anguished noise, clearly torn with what to do, and Yoona's hackles raised up quite involuntarily, as Tiffany's anxiety spiked very suddenly and obviously, distinctly detectable in the pheromones she was giving off.

"Yah Tiff, you really need to calm down. You're making it worse."

Tiffany glanced at Yoona, confused.

"Making what worse?"

"Your distress pheromones. They're getting pretty... out of control."

Tiffany, who up until this point had been pacing slightly, a way to work through her anxiety, sat down heavily on the floor of her hut, and buried her face in her hands, her fingers tangling into her hair, tugging gently at the roots as she tried to work through her stress.

"What am I going to do Yoona?"

"Don't worry about that. We'll get the retreat sorted out one way or-"

"No, I mean... _after_." Tiffany said, cutting Yoona off. "I can't keep hiding from Nichkhun forever. And someone's going to have to look after the pup as it grows up."

Yoona was quiet for a long time after this, and when she next spoke, it was immediately after biting down hard on her lip.

"Well... you could always..."

Tiffany looked up at her rather sharply, the bridge of her nose tensed into a slight frown.

"What?"

"You could always..." Yoona paused, swallowing hard before continuing in a low mumble. "Get rid of it..."

Tiffany stared at Yoona for a second, not quite sure if she had heard her right.

"You mean..." she eventually muttered, slightly horrified by her need to clarify such a statement. "Abort it?"

Yoona nodded, but she looked anguished at the mere mention of the word from Tiffany's mouth, and hurried to explain herself.

"Look, Tiffany. Doing that... it- it's the last thing I would ever want to suggest to another Omega as the best course of action. But right now it- it just seems like all this is doing more harm than good for you. I obviously can't tell you to do this, but what I can tell you is that what I'm seeing right now is one of my best friends in distress. And I think you need to figure out at what point the end result stops being worth the suffering involved to get it."

Tiffany began chewing on her lip, her distress pheromones still very much in evidence.

"But... it's part of Taeyeon."

"That pup's biological connection to Taeyeon should have nothing to do with your decision on whether or not to keep it. I know it's what we've been told to believe our whole lives, but your Alphas, even- no, _especially_ if they're your mate, do not and should not control you. I understand that you love Taeyeon and you want to make her opinions and feelings a priority whenever you can, but there are some decisions on which you just cannot allow her to have power over you. This is your pup Tiffany, and I want _you_ to decide what the best decision is, not Taeyeon."

Tiffany glanced at Yoona, uncertainty in her eyes but with an expression that was almost accusatory.

"You don't trust her do you?"

Yoona was taken slightly off-guard by this comment, but she managed to hold her ground.

"It's not that I don't trust her Tiffany. It's that I trust you so much more. I might trust Taeyeon to look after you, and to love you, and be everything a mate should be, and I really do. I think that woman is perfect for you. But what I don't trust her to do is make any decisions _for you_ , especially one like this."

Tiffany gave a curt sort of shake of her head, clearly not happy with the way Yoona was talking about Taeyeon, but she did eventually concede to what she was saying.

"Okay. I'll talk to her about it. I'll go tonight instead of Luhan."

Tiffany made to stand up, but Yoona hastily reached out a hand and grabbed her wrist, stopping her from leaving.

"Wait."

Tiffany didn't say anything, but made no motion to pull away from Yoona, which she took as an insinuation to continue.

"Please don't think that I'm attacking Taeyeon. I really do like her, honestly I do. But I want what's best for you. Yes, the pup is both of yours, but you have to remember that Taeyeon, although of course she would never, could easily walk away from all this. You can't."

Tiffany held Yoona's gaze for a long moment, not saying anything in reply to this, before she shook Yoona's hand off of her wrist and disappeared through the door of the hut.

***

It was early evening by the time Taeyeon reached the riverbank, having reasonably assumed this to be the place she was supposed to be, as Tiffany had not specified any alternate location. There was no-one in sight, more was the pity, as she felt rather strongly that she wanted this meeting in particular to be over as quickly as possible.

She had told Jessica, before she had left, all that was going on with her and Tiffany, although she had left out any mention of the pup, for she had yet to even tell Yuri about it, and she hadn't wanted Jessica to let it slip in conversation before she asked Tiffany if it was okay for her to even be telling them.

Tiffany had told her it would be Luhan she was here to see, although she was conscious that it might be Yoona instead, should something happen that evening that involved the Betas. But what she hadn't been expecting, when she finally heard a disturbance from across the river bank, was actually Tiffany herself emerging from the trees and beginning to make her way over to the river. She caught Taeyeon's eye from the other side, and held up her hand, asking her to wait as she picked her way across the water.

"Tiffany? I thought Luhan-"

Tiffany shook her head, cutting Taeyeon off, as she brushed some dirt off from the back of her trousers.

"We didn't ask, not yet anyway."

Taeyeon frowned, confused.

"Why not?"

Tiffany dug her fingernails nervously into her palms, not quite sure how to even start with breaching this conversation with her mate.

"Taeyeon there's... there's something I need to talk to you about."

Taeyeon looked slightly surprised, perhaps having not been expecting Tiffany to breach a new topic of conversation right now, but she nodded and sat down on some of the rocks lining the river bank, inviting Tiffany to sit with her, which she did.

"So, what is it you wanted to tell me?"

"Well... I've been thinking a lot, and talking to Yoona a bit as well. And... I'm not sure if- if it's the best idea for us to go through with this."

Taeyeon's frown only deepened with her non-understanding of what Tiffany was saying to her.

"Go through with what? The Omega retreat?"

Tiffany visibly paused, biting her lip, and Taeyeon only became more confused as to what she was trying to tell her. And sensing a need for her to push Tiffany for an answer, she reached a hand forward and cupped her cheek, rubbing her thumb gently back and forth along her jaw.

"Tell me sweetheart, what's wrong?"

Tiffany looked away from Taeyeon for a moment, steeling herself to push through with what she wanted to say, before she did so rather hurriedly, before she lost her nerve.

"I think that, maybe, we shouldn't go through with this pregnancy."

Taeyeon was quiet for a long time after this, the bridge of her nose contracting down slightly into a frown, as she tried to work out clearly for herself, exactly what Tiffany was insinuating. And eventually, she did seem to realise precisely what she was saying, although her next words were still ones seeking confirmation.

"You mean..."

Tiffany looked away from Taeyeon, not quite able to meet her gaze as she nodded. And for a long while the two of them sat, in slightly awkward silence, Taeyeon in particular staring off into the distance although not actually focused on anything, just going over and over again in her mind exactly what Tiffany was insinuating.

"You'd... have to go into the city, wouldn't you?" she eventually said, a reply which gave Tiffany little indication onto her feelings on the matter.

"Yeah."

Taeyeon nodded, and paused for another long moment, the silence between them almost unbearably tense for Tiffany.

"Then I'll go with you, if that's what you want."

Tiffany nodded, having not really known what other answer she had been expecting from Taeyeon. No perhaps, or at the very least, a little protest against the idea, especially after the way Yoona had talked about it. But Taeyeon, being as she was, had accepted it with no qualms or questions, and Tiffany wasn't quite sure whether she was grateful for this, or if she was feeling a completely different emotion entirely.

"You okay?" Taeyeon asked her, moving to rest her hand gently on top of her own.

"I'm fine."

"And you're sure this is what you want?"

Tiffany nodded, although even now, she knew that this was partially a lie. For even though she was convinced that an abortion was indeed, the best option she had to go with right now, she still wasn't quite sure on her feelings on such a choice yet.

"It's the best decision." she eventually affirmed, nodding to herself. "For me, for you. For everyone."

Taeyeon shifted her grip slightly, clasping Tiffany's hand between both of her own, and then brought it up to her mouth to press a kiss to her knuckles.

"It's okay sweetheart, I get it." 

Tiffany sighed and lent her head against Taeyeon's shoulder, seeking comfort from her Alpha. And Taeyeon, although she didn't let go of Tiffany's hand, did move her other hand to wrap around her shoulders, holding her close.

"So the retreat's off?" she eventually asked.

Tiffany nodded.

"I suppose so."

"I'm guessing it would've been hard to get it going anyway."

"Yeah. Yoona wanted me to do it, y'know, because Nichkhun likes me, which is then what prompted our... conversation."

Taeyeon looked away, clearly uncomfortable with what they were talking about, and eventually she mumbled something, her face buried in Tiffany's hair.

"I should go, give you some time to deal with this."

Tiffany looked at Taeyeon, slightly upset by the fact that Taeyeon didn't want to stay with her, but then she conceded that Taeyeon two, every bit as much as her, probably needed to some time to deal with this situation too. So instead of protesting, she just nodded and lent forward to give her mate a short kiss.

"You'll keep me posted?"

"Course."

Taeyeon nodded, and looked as if she wanted to say something more, but then seemed to think better of it, and just squeezed Tiffany's hand one last time before letting go and standing up, turning her back to her, and heading away from the river and back home to the Jeolla village. And Tiffany watched her go with a frown on her face, and her chest tightening with unease.

Because there was just something about the sight of her Alpha, shoulders slightly hunched, hands shoved languidly into pockets as she walked, getting slowly further and further away from her, made Tiffany's heart break, and a very sudden realisation to come rushing, quite violently in fact, to the fore. Jumping up, she began chasing after her mate, calling her name, almost with a tone of desperation, as she ran.

"Taeyeon!"

Taeyeon barely had time to turn around before Tiffany ran into her, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist and clinging on, burying her face in her mate's shoulder. Alarmed, Taeyeon gently touched her shoulder, trying to get her to look up.

"Hey... what's wrong?"

Shaking slightly, Tiffany raised her head and Taeyeon was greatly upset to see that she was crying, her eyes shining with tears.

"I-"

Her words stuck in her throat, not quite able to be articulated, and Taeyeon frowned, rubbing her thumb gently across the underside of Tiffany's jaw.

"What's the matter baby, tell me."

"I- I don't want to get rid of it."

"Oh sweetheart..."

Taeyeon's gaze softened immediately, and she brought Tiffany back into the hug, cradling her head under her chin and combing her fingers through her now slightly ragged strands of hair.

"We don't have to do anything you don't want to do baby. I know you're worried about how difficult it's going to be, but that doesn't matter. Nothing matters except what you want Tiffany, and if you want to keep it, then that's what we'll do."

Tiffany however, despite these assurances, still looked distressed.

"What about you? I never really asked you to begin with and it's... it's your baby too."

Taeyeon shook her head, her fingers winding gently into the base of Tiffany's hair.

"We're mates Tiffany. I want what you want. And if you want this pup, then so do I. And it might be my baby too, but it's your body that it's inside, not mine. If anyone gets to make the decision on what we do about this, it's always going to be you, okay?"

Tiffany closed her eyes and nodded, taking in a deep breath to steady herself, as all the emotions of her sudden realisation and resulting change of heart, converged upon her all at once, threatening to overwhelm her. Taeyeon, sensing this distress, allowed her a few minutes to calm down, all the while stroking gently through her hair, before she cupped Tiffany's face in her hands and coaxed to look right into her eyes.

"Now baby, tell me, properly and honestly. What do you want?"

Tiffany stared right back into Taeyeon deep brown eyes, feeling suddenly braver and more sure in herself than she perhaps ever had before. And all because of Taeyeon.

"I want to keep it."

Taeyeon smiled and lent forward to press their foreheads together, closing her eyes.

"Then that's what we'll do."

Tiffany smiled as felt Taeyeon's lips on her forehead, a humorously chaste sort of kiss, and she had to actively manoeuvre Taeyeon's mouth down to connect with her own, kissing her deeply. For although Taeyeon, in her opinion at least, was actually very good at the physical stuff when they got down to it, it was most often the getting there in the first place that was the problem. For Taeyeon never assumed the possibility of something further in anything, and although this was something that Tiffany loved and admired in her, it did get slightly frustrating at times.

"Thank you Taeyeon." she said, as soon as they dispatched from the kiss, and Taeyeon smiled, in that understanding way that she was seemingly always able to express to Tiffany, whenever she needed reassurance the most.

"Listen, I know why you suggested it. And I can't deny that it's going to be difficult, and if we're not careful, very dangerous as well. But I want you to remember, whenever you get scared, or start having doubts about it all again, that I'm always going to be here for you, okay?"

Tiffany nodded and sank back into Taeyeon's arms, burying her face against her shoulder, unable to hide the smile on her face. And when she pulled away, Taeyeon was pleasantly surprised to see such happiness displayed so openly on her face.

"We're going to have a pup Taeyeon!"

Taeyeon smiled back at her, squeezing her shoulders.

"We sure are baby."

Tiffany wrapped her arms around Taeyeon's neck and kissed her hard, and Taeyeon in response, lifted her up off of her feet and spun her round, overjoyed herself merely from seeing how excited and happy Tiffany was. And even after having let her down, Tiffany clung to her shoulder, not wanting to leave her side just yet.

"Hey now... haven't you got an Omega retreat to organise?"

Tiffany smiled absentmindedly.

"Sure... but right now I'm with my mate. Nichkhun can wait."

"Hmm. I like your thinking."


	12. Assimilation

"Here d'you think?"

"Mmm... it's a bit open."

"How closed off does it really have to be though?" Taeyeon replied, glancing at Jessica. "I mean, it's far enough away from the Gwangjus that they'll never stumble across it."

"It's not the Gwangjus I'm worried about."

Taeyeon nodded, conceding to this.

"Good point."

"Hey you two! Get your asses over here!"

Taeyeon raised an eyebrow as Yuri's loud voice came drifting over to them from somewhere out of sight, and Jessica just sighed and shook her head, before leading the way over to go and find the other girl. For while Taeyeon and Jessica had been scouting out a nearby clearing, Yuri had decided to go her own way, much to Jessica's barely veiled annoyance.

"Yah, Yuri-ah!" Jessica called. "Where are you?"

"Back here!"

Taeyeon raised her eyebrows, as Yuri's voice came to them from the other-side of a small rock formation, that had formed out of the nearby hillside. Rolling her eyes a little, Jessica went first, beginning to scale the rocks with Taeyeon following following suit, in order to finally find Yuri standing in the centre.

"What be the purpose of your summons, oh greatly irritating one?" Jessica asked Yuri, popping her head up above the top of the rocks.

"Ha ha." Yuri replied snidely, and Jessica gave her a withering smile. "Forgive me for wanting to suggest to you that this might be just the place we've been looking for these past two hours."

Taeyeon, who had already jumped down and had began looking around the clearing, nodded slowly in answer to Yuri, although didn't say anything yet. The area that Yuri was standing in was about fifty feet across at it's widest point, and was a little like the clearing they had been in before, but instead of patchy areas of trees, was surrounded by various heights of both flat and jutting rocks, making far more isolated and protected from the elements. As she had already experienced herself, it was quite hard to get down into, but as Jessica had mentioned, the more protection there was from prying eyes, the better.

"So, what d'you think? Possible Omega retreat material?"

Taeyeon nodded.

"It's certainly the best we've had so far. Though it's perhaps a little tricky for a lot of Omegas to climb down into. We're not all expert rock climbers like you."

"Hey, what price safety?"

"I suppose we can always help them." Taeyeon mused.

" _Exactly_. Come on, admit it, it's perfect."

Taeyeon was quiet for a moment longer, before she nodded.

"Okay. We'll stick with this."

Yuri pumped her fist into the air and held out her hand for a high-five, which Jessica resolutely ignored, much to Yuri's dismay. Taeyeon, who had been watching the whole display, grinned and began exploring the clearing in more detail, as Yuri and Jessica began bickering playfully in the background. And upon closer inspection, she found that on the other side of the clearing, was a small pathway through the rocks, that was almost completely hidden unless you looked at it from a certain angle.

"Hey Yuri, what d'you think? We could bring the Omegas in through here."

"It just gets better and better." Yuri proclaimed proudly, and held up her hand again for another high-five, which Taeyeon pityingly obliged to.

After spending the next few minutes fully exploring both the inside and the outside of the rocky clearing, and making sure it would be as good a place as possible to hide a considerably sized pack of Omegas, the three of them made their way out of the rocky clearing via the pathway that Taeyeon had found, making it back out onto open fields without too much difficulty.

"Okay dummies, I gotta get back. Hyoyeon asked me if I'd check the fishing nets with her."

"You know, you don't have to be rude to us just because we let you Betas get away with anything." Yuri commented.

Jessica gave Yuri a sarcastic smile and then turned to run off in the direction of the village, leaving Taeyeon and Yuri to walk back alone.

"So what's going on with you two?"

"I don't know what you mean." Yuri replied, dismissively. 

"Sure you don't." Taeyeon teased, grinning, but decided not to push it any further. For she knew that Yuri would tell her in time, if anything were ever to happen between her and Jessica.

"What about you anyway?" Yuri shot back, clearly trying to defend herself. "Daddy Taeng huh?"

Taeyeon's eyes widened and she slapped Yuri's arm, causing her to clutch it in mock pain.

" _Please_ don't ever call me that."

"Yes, alright, alright, I was only joking. But honestly Taeng, I never would've thought it of you, not in a million years. My best friend, knocking up their mate on the first try."

"Don't call it that, it makes it sound... crude."

"Aw but I can't help it Taeng! My best friend is gonna be a mama-wolf!"

Yuri wrapped her arms around Taeyeon in a tight, excitable hug, and Taeyeon returned it with a hard shove, which Yuri initially took as just typical Alpha play-fighting, but then she saw the look on Taeyeon's face and quickly realised that she wasn't joking.

"Hey, I'm sorry... Taeng... I'm sorry."

Taeyeon gave a sort of dismissive shrug and Yuri stopped her with a gentle hand on her wrist, employing her full pout and puppy-dog eyes to ask for forgiveness, which Taeyeon did eventually give into.

"I'm sorry Yuri. I've just got a lot on my mind right now."

"Well duh, when don't you?"

Taeyeon gave Yuri a scathing look, which she cowered humorously in lieu of.

"Com'n Taeng, please. Tell me what's bothering you. I promise I won't make any more jokes. And you know I'll get it out of you eventually."

Taeyeon sighed and rolled her eyes a little, but nodded in resignation.

"Well it's just... y'know, _everything_ Yuri. There's just so many things that could go wrong, and then at the end of it, I'll have this- this actual _living being_ to look after. I mean think about it Yuri, really think about what a pup is. It's this... this tiny person, that is just completely and utterly reliant on you for everything. And... I don't know if I can handle that yet."

Yuri frowned sympathetically, as she, like most, had heard of many cases of pregnancies in very young Omegas, having mated perhaps a little too prematurely, and the problems that it could bring in becoming a parent so early.

"Well hey, look at this way. It's not going to be just you. It's going to be you, and Tiffany, and me, and Jessica, and all the Gwangju Omegas. In fact, that pup's going to be so over-mothered it'll probably turn out better than any of us."

A small smile twitched at the corner of Taeyeon's mouth.

"You know it's not going to be exactly like that..."

"Well yeah, of course it's going to be tricky. But what I mean by saying that is that it doesn't matter if you're not quite ready to handle all this Taeyeon. Because you don't have to do any of this on your own. I know it might have felt that way at the beginning, with you having to keep all this secret, but sometimes a secret can just be an opportunity that's waiting to be revealed. Time changes people and it shifts perspectives. And one thing I know for sure is that having a mini-you in the world could never be a bad thing."

Taeyeon nudged Yuri's shoulder, smiling to herself.

"God, can you ever be serious for more than a minute at a time?"

"I suppose I could, but where's the fun in that?"

The two of them continued on in good-natured silence for a while longer, the tense mood having been dissipated, before a sly grin worked it's way onto Taeyeon's face and she nudged Yuri's arm suggestively. 

"Now com'n, spill. What's really going on with you and Jessica?"

Yuri shook her head adamantly. 

"Nuh uh, there were no promises of mutual confession."

Taeyeon made a playful swipe at Yuri, trying to get her in a headlock, which Yuri artfully dodged, then stuck her fingers in her ears as she began to run away.

"You know I'll find out anyway!" Taeyeon called after her, grinning.

"Sorry Taeng, I can't hear you, you're too far away!" Yuri shouted back, bolting for the safety of the village as Taeyeon pursued her, all the while smiling and wondering what she ever did to deserve a friend as good as Kwon Yuri.

***

"Can you please make sure?"

Yoona rolled her eyes a little exasperatedly, but lent closer in towards Tiffany's neck and inhaled deeply, searching for any slight trace of her scent.

"Nope, nothing. You'll be fine, I promise."

"Are you sure?"

"As sure as I possibly can be. And you and I both know that if he's going to say yes to anyone, it's going to be you. And terrible as it is, sometimes it can be useful to have such a powerful Alpha so interested in you. And it's just your luck to have two such Alphas at your disposal."

Tiffany frowned.

"Taeyeon is not 'at my disposal' Yoona. She's not a tool for me to make use of. And speaking of, neither is Nichkhun, okay? I'm not risking anything more with him than I absolutely have to."

"Yeah, okay, I'm sorry. I guess... I guess it's still a little hard for me to get used to. This whole trusting another pack's Alpha thing. Especially a Jeolla."

Yoona caught Tiffany's alarmed look, and hastily corrected herself.

" _But_ that doesn't mean the others won't come round just as easy as I did. I'm helping you, aren't I? And they're almost guaranteed to feel unsure about it Tiffany, but I can promise you that the Omega bond is stronger than any of that. They will do anything to help protect you, even if they don't like it all that much at first."

Tiffany averted her gaze, her hands fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

"I guess..." she eventually started, struggling a little for her words. "I guess I'm just waiting for the day when him and Taeyeon come head to head. Surely it's bound to happen at some point?"

"Maybe so. But she'll be prepared by then. I don't doubt for a second the Jeollas' ability to stand up to any pack that antagonises them the same way Nichkhun's been doing. They've done it before and they'll do it again."

Tiffany nodded, although she didn't look altogether reassured.

"Have you told any of the other Omegas already about what's happening?"

Yoona looked a little awkward at being asked this, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand.

"I've told Juhyun. And she seemed to think that others would accept it as well. I mean, you know how they all feel towards Nichkhun. And ever since that cold-blooded attack on the Jeolla village, they've all but lost any animosity they ever had towards them, at least in principle."

"You don't think they'll think bad of me?"

"They'll understand that you had no choice. Mating connections are extraordinarily hard to ignore, and even more difficult to break. You still have the scar on your shoulder?"

Tiffany nodded.

"Then that's all the proof you need."

"Well if I'm going to ask him, you need to tell the others, okay? I'm fine with telling him whatever, but they have to know the real reason we're doing this."

Yoona nodded.

"I will, I promise. We're all in this together, okay? We're not going to leave you to deal with this alone."

Yoona held Tiffany's gaze, trying to give her as much reassurance as she could, and squeezing her hand one last time by way of giving her courage, before finally letting her go and watching her disappear outside the hut, on her way to go and find Nichkhun.

***

When she first caught sight of Tiffany, for the first time in weeks since she had last met up with her in her nest, Taeyeon had been sitting alone on the hillside, a little way off from the Omega camp. Over the past few days, her, Yuri and Jessica had been setting up a camp for the incoming Omegas, complete with a basic array of reinforced tents and a fire pit in the centre. For she had been informed by Luhan, who had met her by the river, that the Omegas would be bringing things with them.

They had agreed to meet here alone as soon as Tiffany could get away, which rather unfortunately for Taeyeon's nerves, was quite a bit longer than she had estimated. So much so, that by the time she finally came into view, she had resorting to sitting on her hands to stop them from shaking. Jumping up to meet her, she picked her up and hugged her as soon as she was close enough, spinning her round as Tiffany lifted her feet off the ground.

Letting her down, she found that all she could do was smile awkwardly, not really sure of her words.

"Hey."

Tiffany smiled back.

"Hey."

"So... this is really happening huh?"

"I guess so."

"How'd it go convincing Nichkhun?"

"Well like Luhan came and told you, it took quite a while for us to get away even after he eventually agreed. And even then, it was only the un-mated Omegas he let go."

"Well, it doesn't matter I suppose. You're here now." Taeyeon said, gripping Tiffany's shoulders gently in a gesture of fondness.

Tiffany smiled and nodded, resting her hands momentarily on top of Taeyeon's before moving them back down from her shoulders.

"It's amazing what you did with the campsite by the way. However did you find that space in-between the rocks?"

"Oh that was all Yuri. Trust her to go rock climbing to try and find a suitable place to hide an Omega pack."

Tiffany grinned.

"The more I hear about this infamous Yuri, the more I want to meet her."

"Well then, I'll have to arrange that somehow. Though perhaps not as an in-camp visit. Two Alphas at once might be a bit much for you all to handle."

At this, Tiffany averted her eyes somewhat awkwardly.

"About that..."

Taeyeon frowned.

"What?"

"They want to assimilate you."

Taeyeon raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"How'd you mean?" 

"You don't have to do much. Just sit quiet and don't look threatening basically."

"And what happens if I don't meet their expectations?"

Tiffany purposefully avoided Taeyeon's gaze before muttering her reply.

"That won't happen."

Biting back her nervousness, Taeyeon let Tiffany grab her hand and lead her back towards the rock formation, next to which a small patch of ground had been noticeably cleared, which was where the Gwangju Omegas were waiting for her.

There weren't as many Omegas as Taeyeon had been expecting, but the gender make-up was quite usual, with many more female Omegas than male. Their expressions were a range of critical to uncomfortable, with Yoona being the only one without any sort of initial judgement present on her face. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Taeyeon let go of Tiffany's hand and knelt down in front of them, assuming a state of greatly submissive body language, something rarely, if ever displayed by an Alpha, particularly in response to Omegas. 

One by one, each of the Omegas approached her, some decidedly more nervous than others. And each of them would then pace around her slowly, inspecting her, inhaling deeply as they did in order to get the best measure of her scent. For the most part they remained passive and silent, not giving much away about their assertions. Although during his turn, one of the male Omegas did snap at her, and she resisted the urge to rise to his challenge, heeding Tiffany's advice about sitting quiet and not antagonising them, even if, in any other situation, allowing an Omega to behave in such a way would be considered hugely weak and humiliating. 

Yoona was last to go, and the only one not to do any pacing. Instead she just gave Taeyeon a long, hard stare, and Taeyeon held her gaze, forcing herself not to look away. And although her face gave nothing away, Taeyeon saw so much in her eyes, a conflict of trust and distrust, and a great uncertainty about which to follow. But then Yoona had given her a small sort of nod, and moved to stand with the other Omegas once more.

Taeyeon raised an eyebrow, a little unnerved by the general ripple of excitement that had just gone through the watching Omegas, and Tiffany scurried over to her, wrapping her hands tightly around Taeyeon's arm.

"Get ready." she mumbled, only loud enough for her to hear.

"Why? What's happening?"

Tiffany grinned at her.

"You're about to be assimilated."

"But, wasn't that-"

But Taeyeon had no time to finish her sentence, as Tiffany had suddenly pushed her onto her front and then tumbled on top of her. And one by one, the two of them were joined by all the other Omegas until they had formed a puppy pile with her at the bottom, aptly named as it was the sort of thing that Taeyeon had only ever seen pups engage in.

Getting over her initial surprise, Taeyeon smiled and dutifully allowed the Omegas to bury her, submitting to being the centre of the pile-on, understanding that this was a vital step in gaining their trust. And what made it all the more bearable was Tiffany, her arms draped around her neck and her face nuzzling against the underside of her chin, only too happy to be making Taeyeon part of their little Omega pack.

By the time she was released from her puppy pile-on prison, she had been smeared considerably in mud from her close contact with the ground, as well as being smothered in the now quite overwhelming scent of Gwangju Omega. Tiffany, grinning at her from ear to ear, reached out a hand to help her up as the rest of the Omegas disappeared back to the campsite to give them a little privacy.

"Well that worked out better than expected." Tiffany commented.

"Maybe from where you were."

"Oh admit it, you were having fun."

"You weren't jealous at all?" Taeyeon teased. "Having so many Omegas fawning over me?"

Tiffany shook her head, still smiling.

"Doesn't matter, because I was the closest. You're _my_ Alpha, so I get first dibs."

"You make it sound like a raffle."

"Well you'll always be my top prize hmm?"

"However you like it."

Tiffany nodded in contentment, resting her head against Taeyeon's shoulder and tangling their fingers together, a gesture rather indicative of a desire to stay as close to her as she could for the longest time possible.

"Do you need to be back anytime soon?"

"Probably. This whole day I've been pushing it. There's only so many excuses you can make without having to explain yourself."

Tiffany let out a sort of discontented grumble, but loosened her grip on Taeyeon's hand somewhat.

"That's okay. After all, you're so much closer to me now."

"Reckon I'll need to go and dunk myself in the river first though. I'd probably start a war right then and there if I went back smelling like this."

Tiffany smiled, nuzzling against Taeyeon's neck.

"I like it. It suits you."

"Better than my Alpha scent?" Taeyeon asked, only somewhat jokingly.

Tiffany shook her head.

"Nothing's better than that. Because that's _your_ scent."

"Charmer."

"I learn from the best."

Taeyeon grinned and nuzzled back against Tiffany's cheek, her hands buried into the soft base of her hair, that was somewhat messy and tangled from their impromptu pile-on.

"Now you go and get settled okay?"

Tiffany nodded and wrapped her arms around Taeyeon's neck to kiss her, which Taeyeon returned, her own arms wrapped securely around Tiffany's waist. And even when separated, Tiffany clung to her hand for as long as possible, before reluctantly pulling away and heading back towards the Omega camp.

A sudden rustle to Taeyeon's left brought her head snapping round, as she had already been wary of her surroundings when meeting up with Tiffany. And it was with a wave of fresh horror that she saw Hayeon, eyes wide and staring at her, clearly having been watching and listening to the two of them for God knows how long. And no sooner had Taeyeon seen her, did she stumble backwards, turn, and start running.

Before she could even process the situation properly, Taeyeon was off like a shot and running after her, her protective instincts kicking in and her Alpha prowess allowing her to easily catch up to her younger sister.

"Hayeon, Hayeon, please-"

Hayeon pulled away from Taeyeon as she placed her hand on her shoulder, trying to get her to stop, and twisted around violently, ending up face to face with her sister, her eyes ablaze with barely controlled anger.

"You'd better tell me what the _hell's_ going on Taeyeon, and you'd better tell me _right now_."

"Look it- it's hard to explain-"

"You want me to explain it then? Because I can sure as hell tell you what it looks like."

"Hayeon please-"

"They killed both our parents Taeyeon! Or did you forget that? Yeah, that's right, I know the scent. So don't even try to lie. And don't you _dare_ stand there, and tell me that you're going to disregard everything that pack has ever done to wrong us, all because you've got a hard-on for some Gwangju bitch!"

A low growl left Taeyeon's throat, her eyebrows arching down into a frown, as a strong surge of protectiveness for her Omega rose immediately to the forefront.

"You will _not_ call her a bitch!"

Hayeon's mouth curled up into a snarl, exposing her fangs, a clear challenge to her older sister.

"Fucking make me."

A flash of yellow crossed Taeyeon's eyes as anger overtook her, and almost immediately she began shifting into a more wolf-like appearance, her arm muscles becoming more prominent under the fresh growth of coarse hair, and her posture hunching forward slightly, as if prompting her to move onto all fours rather than stand.

Hayeon too began shifting as adrenaline filled her body, the tension between them almost visible in the air as they began stalking round each other, hackles raised, their low growls only adding to the intense atmosphere. Hayeon engaged first, swiping a hand at Taeyeon, who dodged her slight growth of claws with ease and then went in for own advance. And after a few jabs and slashes from each of them, they ended up on the ground, tussling and roughing each other up, nipping and scratching wherever they could reach, but neither of them ever really going for a more serious attack. For this was more a fight of principle than anything else, and one which neither one wanted to give up on.

Eventually however, as was only inevitable for an Alpha, Taeyeon ended up on top, pinning Hayeon to the ground by the shoulders, her claws digging into the fabric of her shirt. She was breathing hard, her anger at her relationship with Tiffany being described so crudely having overwhelmed her better judgement. But then she caught sight of Hayeon's eyes which, although were still stubborn themselves, contained a very real element of fear, at seeing this very different side of her usually so passive older sister.

"Look I-" Taeyeon gritted her teeth, a gesture of frustration, before she let go of Hayeon's shoulders and backed off from her, giving her room to breathe. "I don't want to hurt you Hayeon. Just please... let me talk."

Propping herself up on one arm, Hayeon wiped away the blood from a small cut on her lip and gave a curt gesture of her head, as if begrudgingly implying that Taeyeon should continue.

"Tiffany she's... she's not the same as them. Even more than all the other Omegas, she just doesn't fit with her pack. The only reason she stays with them is because she hasn't got anyone else. But she would never willingly hurt anyone."

"You can't change your blood Taeyeon. You of anyone should know that."

"And I do know that Hayeon. But are we really still at the point of judging people for how they were born? Of boxing them into a fixed category because we can't be bothered to even give them a chance, to even try and look past face value?"

"But we've been enemies for _generations_ Taeyeon! Does that not mean anything to you?"

"Look! It's- it's not _about_ being enemies, okay?"

Hayeon frowned, looking ready to object once more, but Taeyeon cut her off before she could speak, being rather uncharacteristically assertive.

"This is not a case of pack verses pack Hayeon. It's... it's oppression verses freedom. The Gwangju Omegas are no happier to be a part of that pack than you would be. Every moment of their lives is spent in fear of what their Alphas might do next, who they might lose, who they might make yet another enemy of. Jesus- look how fast all of them accepted the fact that I was mating with one of their own. They have more loyalty to their enemies than their own pack Hayeon. Don't you see how fucked up that is?"

"How is any of that our fault?" Hayeon retorted sharply. "A pack is a pack, and you're born into it whether you like it or not. It's not our job to pick up the dregs of the Gwangjus just because their Alphas don't know how to co-operate."

"You know that's not what's happening. The only reason all the Omegas are here is because-"

"Because you knocked her up?" Hayeon interjected snidely.

Taeyeon clenched her jaw slightly and twisted her head to the side, resisting the urge to react to this obvious jibe.

"I'm not going to explain the nature of my relationship with my mate to you Hayeon. That's not what this conversation is about."

"Then what _is_ it about Taeyeon? Whatever you think you're trying to tell me right now, I want you to explain one thing to me, loud and clear. Tell me how, in what sense, can it ever be okay that you're mating with a member of the pack that's opposed our pack values and legacy for generations, and that were the direct cause of the death of our parents. _Tell me_ how that's okay."

Taeyeon was slightly taken aback by the rather sudden springing up of tears in Hayeon's eyes, which she was seemingly trying to ward off, without much success. 

"Look Hayeon. What happened to omma was hard on all of us. You think I didn't spend almost every day of my life after she died hating the very existence of the Gwangjus? You think I didn't sit up, night after night, crying my eyes out and slowly plotting my exact revenge? But I was still basically a kid back then, you even more so. And when you grow up, you're forced to be more mature, whether you want to or not. And over time, the pain lessened. It's always there, but it doesn't overwhelm me anymore. I learnt to control it."

"But Taeyeon... even if it wasn't about the pack, being _mates_ with one of them, it- it's like making a deal with the Devil. It compromises everything you are, everything you could've become. And once you commit to it, you can't ever take it back."

Taeyeon was quiet for a long moment after this, and Hayeon watched her as she sat down heavily on the ground, the more wolfish parts of her appearance slowly starting to lessen in visibility as she began to calm down.

"You've never had a mate connection... right?" she eventually murmured. 

Hayeon looked away from her sister for a moment, not quite able to meet her gaze, before she gave a small shake of her head.

"Can I tell you how it feels?"

Again, Hayeon didn't say anything, but just nodded.

"It feels like... like having a rope tied around your heart, and the other end is tied to an anchor. The more you try and pull away, the tighter it becomes, and you can't ignore it because it's always tugging, and tugging with a weight that's heavier than you could ever imagine. It's not just an emotional thing Hayeon, it's a very physical bond, and it will break you down every second that you refuse to pursue it. When I found out she was a Gwangju, I didn't want to become Tiffany's mate. In fact, it was the last thing I wanted to do. The very prospect horrified me. But there was nothing I could do Hayeon. I was hers and she was mine, and neither of us could do anything to change that."

Hayeon shifted a little uncomfortably, still avoiding eye contact with Taeyeon, her own more wolfish characteristics having almost disappeared as well.

"And then when I finally stopped running and faced up to what I had to do, I found out how little it mattered that she was a Gwangju. Because at the end of the day, she was just an Omega, who'd been forced into a war-zone by her Alphas and was bitten and mated by no fault of her own. Nothing about all this is fair on her. In fact it's wrong, and it shouldn't have happened. But it did happen, and she loves me regardless of any of that, regardless of who I am. So don't you see why I need to protect her? Why I am risking everything else I hold dear to me to keep her safe?"

There was a long pause, during which Taeyeon took in a few heavy breaths, and watched her younger sister carefully, judging for her reaction.

"I'm sorry..."

Taeyeon raised her eyebrows, taken off guard by this.

"I..." Hayeon started, biting down on her lip as she hesitated. "I didn't think about how it might feel for you."

Taeyeon frowned sympathetically, and reached out to rest her hands on her sister's shoulders.

"I get it Hayeon. Coming to peace between my adversary with the Gwangjus and my mating with a Gwangju Omega was... difficult. And I'm still struggling with it now. But the way I learned to deal with it is... is not to view her as primarily a Gwangju. I don't want to erase that part of her, because it's never going to go away. But I treat her as a person first and foremost, and not just an extension of her pack."

"So, you just want me to see her as... your mate? Not a Gwangju?"

Taeyeon looked at Hayeon seriously for a moment, before a small smile, albeit slightly pleading, worked it's way onto her face.

"If you could manage that... that would be perfect."

Hayeon nodded slowly, before she moved forward and hugged Taeyeon around the waist, burying her face in her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Taeyeon."

"It's okay kiddo, I get it."

"I just..." she mumbled, pulling away from Taeyeon slightly. "I didn't want our parents deaths to be devalued. And you mating with a Gwangju... it almost seemed like you were giving up. That you weren't going to fight for them anymore."

Taeyeon's gaze hardened at this.

"Trust me Hayeon. The Gwangjus are far from off the hook. I'll deal with them soon. I just... I need some time to figure it out. I don't want to use any unnecessary violence. That's not what the Jeolla pack stands for."

The corner of Hayeon's mouth quirked up into a slight smile.

"Always so righteous aren't you..."

"Someone's gotta be hmm?"

"Although you _did_ still get your mate pregnant..."

"Yah... stop it. Trust me, I know."

"So what're you gonna do about it Alpha?"

"I'm going to look after her."

"As easy as that?" Hayeon said, teasing slightly.

"No... but we can make it easy. If we support each other."

Hayeon let out a small exhale of mirth through her nose.

"And I always thought Jiwoong was the optimist out of us three."

Taeyeon smiled, a little sadly.

"Yeah. He was, wasn't he?"

"I wish I knew what happened with him." Hayeon mumbled, playing with one of the locks of Taeyeon's hair that had fallen out of place during their scuffle.

"I think we'll find out one day." Taeyeon replied. "Those sorts of things never stay a secret forever."

"It's worrying to think about though."

"What is?"

There was a small silence before Hayeon answered her, in a small, careful voice.

"That maybe the truth might be worse."


End file.
